Bad movie stars introduce new version of Defying Gravity

Evil was the first musical, but soon the film will equal it in terms of fame. Tickets for the upcoming cinema version of Evil went on sale on Wednesday and the cast and crew unleashed a barrage of promotional material to get fans excited for its theatrical release.

Evil is based on the successful (and still running) Broadway musical, which in turn was adapted from Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the Westa postmodern variant of the original by L. Frank Baum Wizard of Oz stories. In the new film, Cynthia Erivo plays Elphaba (named after Baum's initials), a young green-skinned woman with magical talents who will one day be known as the Wicked Witch of the West. But this story is about her training and early friendship with Glinda the Good (Ariana Grande) before they became enemies.

First of all, there is a new commercial for the film. After the first Evil While the trailer during this year's Super Bowl focused on dialogue, world-building, and character introductions, this new clip is entirely filled with singing and dancing. There are snippets of the musical's biggest songs like Grande's “Popular,” Jonathan Bailey's rendition of “Dancing Through Life” and, of course, Erivo's first-act showstopper “Defying Gravity.”

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There are also other rumors about “Defying Gravity”. Several Evil Tetherable toys are now on sale, including a pink karaoke microphone. Some fans have discovered that this microphone actually contains audio of Erivo performing the song in which Elphaba defiantly declares his independence from the bureaucracy of Oz and its leader, the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum).

Erivo and Grande discussed the film version of “Defying Gravity” in a new interview with Fandango to promote ticket orders. Erivo said her rendition of the song will differ in several ways from the original Broadway version made famous by Idina Menzel.

“The wonderful thing about this particular version is that it grows,” says Erivo. “There are additional elements that you don’t get in the stage version. There are moments of pause and space. There’s a lot more room in it, so it takes a while.”

Director Jon. M Chu declined to say exactly how long “Defying Gravity” lasts in the film, but confirmed that it is “a long sequence.”

“Because we have the luxury of being in the film, flying is real. I sing while I fly, I'm in the air,” Erivo added, alongside behind-the-scenes footage of her wire work on set.

There's also a new poster for Wicked that should look familiar to longtime fans. It features Erivo and Grande in a recreation of the classic Broadway poster, which shows Glinda whispering in Elphaba's ear. This version is slightly different as Erivo's Elphaba does not smile and Grande's hands are placed slightly lower than her enemy's ear.

Evil will be in theaters on November 22nd, with a second film to follow next year. Watch the cast talk to Fandango about the film above.