The First Pictures From The Upcoming "Wicked" Movie Were Released, And Some Folks Pointed Out That They Looked Rather (Literally) Dark

    "Don’t worry, we still have a year and half to show you our colors!"

    Natasha Jokic
    by Natasha Jokic

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Good news! The first images of the upcoming Wicked movie are here.

    If you're out of the loop, the adaptation of the Broadway hit will be a tad different than what we're used to. Starring Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda, it'll actually be in two parts — with part one hitting theaters one billion years in the future (Nov. 27, 2024).

    Over on Instagram, Ariana shared the first picture of her as Glinda:

    And Cynthia followed suit with her as the Wicked Witch herself, Elphaba:

    Director Jon M. Chu continued the hype by adding, "You weren’t told the whole story. What happens when you veer off the Yellow Brick Road?"

    Roy Rochlin / WireImage

    "I’ve already been changed for good by these two women…" he continued. "They will lift ur spirits, break ur heart and leave you speechless with their voices. So excited to introduce you into our world…SO much more to come."

    Jon M. Chu @jonmchu

    I’ve already been changed for good by these two women… #CynthiaErivo & #ArianaGrande as the Witches of Oz. They will lift ur spirits, break ur heart and leave you speechless with their voices. So excited to introduce you into our world… SO much more to come…… https://t.co/zQbIOzKNwY

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    Unviersal / Via Twitter: @jonmchu

    Plenty of folks — including lots of famous faces — were tremendously excited by the photos:

    Cynthia Erivo / Via instagram.com

    The original Broadway Glinda, Kristen Chenoweth, even voiced her support:

    Ariana Grande / Via instagram.com

    However, some thought the pics looked a little...dark:

    Mike @michaelcollado

    Omg the WICKED photos are incredible

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    @michaelcollado / Via Twitter: @michaelcollado
    roxane gay @rgay

    Shame. I was excited for this but they don’t have a lighting budget. This is really infuriating. LIGHT YOUR ENTERTAINMENT SO IT CAN BE SEEN. https://t.co/k7kGq0uf6i

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    Universal / Via Twitter: @rgay
    Grace Randolph @GraceRandolph

    #Wicked https://t.co/2RFXNkrdEj

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    Universal / Via Twitter: @GraceRandolph
    Ryan S @souchy_boyy

    Did they film Wicked in a Hollister shop? https://t.co/b0MnX283eJ

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    Universal / Via Twitter: @souchy_boyy

    To the point where Jon himself hopped back in:

    Jon M. Chu @jonmchu

    @rgay Don’t worry we still have a year and half to show you our colors! Trust me, plenty of colors in Oz. ;) we still have 70 days to shoot left. ❤️🌈 https://t.co/pAayg0aD8n

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    Splash News / Via Twitter: @jonmchu
    Jon M. Chu @jonmchu

    @Natdisneybrown @wickedmovie @UniversalPics @Wicked_Movie Don’t worry, color is in my DNA… this is just the first tease. Plenty of time to show more… stay tuned

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    Twitter: @jonmchu

    Even saying that he'd learn from Game of Thrones' mistakes:

    Jon M. Chu @jonmchu

    @emiliamoscovich @wickedmovie @UniversalPics @Wicked_Movie 🫡

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    Twitter: @jonmchu

    Of course, these are just teaser images — so we'll have to keep an eye out for what's to come!