First footage from ”Wicked” movies with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo shown

Set to be released next autumn, the two-part big screen epic is already making headlines on a weekly basis as more information, set photos and casting tidbits is drip-fed to eager punters.

What seemingly tipped the internet over the edge this time around was the showing of rough footage from the final films. Of course – it was screened privately for attendees at CinemaCon and, being the tight ship that we are, we aren’t going to put any of the leaked audio/clips out into the world (it sounds as though producers Universal have been mightily efficient in getting rid of any unwanted material!).

What was shown, according to attendees, certainly got audiences on side (as evidenced by the tweet below). Amongst the clips were white-haired Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, trying to teach Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba to harness her witch powers (“Try again, eyes shut, and picture it… Once you learn to harness your emotions, the sky is the limit”). Other footage includes Erivo being given her famous black hat (“It’s really, uh, sharp. Don’t you think?”) as well as snippets from Erivo and Ariana Grande’s Glinda singing “Defying Gravity” and “Popular”.

Audiences also saw Grande’s Glinda flying in her bubble, Erivo flying on her broom stick and Jeff Goldblum’s charismatic Wizard. A large portion of the footage focussed on the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda, including the lines “Pink goes good with green”. A moment from “Popular” where Elphaba tells Glinda, “You really don’t have to do that,” (a reference to Glinda giving her green-skinned friend a makeover) to which Glinda famously responds, “I know. That’s what makes me so nice,” is also featured.

Director Jon M Chu also revealed that the film would not be a CGI or blue-screen concoction, with large-scale, real sets.

More reactions for the Wicked footage from CinemaCon

“they clearly know that they have a huge hit on their hands” pic.twitter.com/p3JEJ5Ducn