CinemaCon’sWicked: For Goodrevealteaser shows Elphaba’s line, “You’re the only friend I ever had,” and Glinda’s response demonstrates a sad component of the upcoming sequel. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo led thecast of 2024’sWicked, playing Glinda and Elphaba in the Oscar-winning musical. The second half of the story will be out sooner than many had hoped, with the film set to be released on August 11, 2025.ScreenRantwas among the audience atCinemaCon 2025, who experienced the first-look teaser presented by Universal Studios.
Among thedetails revealed from theWickedCinemaCon Teaserare a few quotes from the sequel. In an exchange, we see Elphaba saying the aforementioned line to Glinda.Their divide was a crucial component ofWicked’sending, with Glinda not wishing to take her friend’s sidedespite the revealed malevolence of the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). As many fans know from the stage musical, the book, and the events ofThe Wizard of Oz, this divide will only grow inWicked:For Good.
Glinda’s Reply Seems Like A Shockingly Ignorant Betrayal
While Elphaba’s statement is solemn and evocative, it’s Glinda’s response that comes as the more significant shock. In the teaser,after Elphaba states that Glinda was her only friend, Glinda replies: “And I have so many friends.“While this response is consistent with the cadence of many of Glinda’s lines from the first film, demonstrating much of the self-absorbed ignorance she showed at the beginning of the story, it’s more poignant and upsetting after the growth they shared.
As the world retaliates more and more against Elphaba due to the Wizard’s propaganda, Glinda will continue to make excuses to herself.
This response seems like a put-down from Glinda, with her returning to the snobby ways of her past as a method of coping with the betrayal of her friend. She didn’t go with Elphaba at the end of the first movie, and it’s clear that their friendship is going to be strained by the experience. As the world retaliates more and more against Elphaba due to the Wizard’s propaganda, Glinda will continue to make excuses to herself.This line is the perfect example, showing how she’ll justify her actions through stubborn ignorance.
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The Sequel Will Miss The First Film’s Central Friendship
It wasn’t hard to tell fromWicked’sendingthat Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship wasn’t going to last. We even saw in the film’s flash-forward sequence, as Glinda told the tale to the Munchkins, that they would fall on opposite sides. However,it’s important to note just how critical their beautiful friendship was to the first installment and how different the sequel will feelwithout it.Wicked: For Goodis going to be a far more challenging cinematic experience, but that’s also what makes it so exciting.
