The director of Wicked: For Good has explained why the trailer hasn’t debuted yet. The movie is Jon M. Chu’s sequel to his smash hit Wicked, which adapted the first act of the Broadway musical telling the origin story of the Wicked Witch of the West. The new movie will conclude the story, following the continued dissolution of the bond between Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande-Butera). While rumors swirled that a trailer for the upcoming Wicked: For Good would premiere during the Super Bowl on February 9, that turned out not to be the case.

ScreenRant‘s Joe Deckelmeier had the opportunity to speak with Jon M. Chu on the red carpet at the 2025 Writer’s Guild of America Awards, where Wicked was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. When asked about the trailer for Wicked: For Good, he did not reveal when it is actually going to drop, but said that it did not play at the Super Bowl because “there were technical difficulties“ with getting visual effects together in time, but “we have a lot coming out.” Read his full quote below:

I can’t say when we’re getting the trailer. [Laughs] All I can say is that, in order for me to have gotten a trailer for the Super Bowl, I would’ve had to turn over visual effects to be done by now so many months ago when we were still in the middle of edits. There were technical difficulties that prevented us, but we have a lot coming out, so stay tuned. I can’t say anything else, though!

What This Means For Wicked: For Good

A Trailer Could Have Impacted Wicked’s Oscar Performance

One major reason it was speculated that the trailer for the Wicked sequel For Good would debut during the Super Bowl was the fact that the trailer for the original movie originally aired during Super Bowl LVIII in 2024. However, in addition to the fact that editing was not in a place to have a trailer ready, there is likely another reason that the new trailer has not yet debuted. The 2024 movie is still the center of attention in pop culture, having nearly concluded its theatrical run but not yet reached the end of the 2024-2025 awards season.

Wicked has earned 10 2025 Oscar nominations, including Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Picture, so it was likely an intentional move to avoid the trailer for the sequel stealing too much attention from the movie while Oscar voting was still set to take place through February 18. The trailer also could have reminded voters that another movie was coming and thus the key figures would have another chance at being nominated the following year, which might have encouraged them to vote for other movies in those categories.

Our Take On The Wicked: For Good Trailer

It Will Probably Debut Soon

Ultimately, it seems more likely that the first teaser for Wicked: For Good will debut during the 97th Academy Awards, which are set to air on March 2. Even if visual effects are still not complete for most of the movie, the first teaser would likely only include a snippet of one song (probably the тιтle number) and a few sH๏τs, which could easily have been completed in time. This would be perfect timing for the sequel to capitalize on the success of the 2024 movie during the peak of its awards run rather than detracting from it.