Though I enjoyed the stage production of Wicked: The Musical when it came to San Francisco a decade or so ago, and listened to the soundtrack dozens of times over the years, I’ve always felt the show sagged in the second act, so I was deeply skeptical when I heard the film adaptation would be split in two, one movie per act.

My trepidation subsided somewhat after finally watching Wicked: Part I several weeks ago. Jon M. Chu created a delightful first act, with simply stunning design and cinematography, while Ariana Grande and (especially) Cynthia Erivo were revelations. But still—a full film focused on the weaker half sounded like a terrible idea.

The trailer for part two, Wicked: For Good, suggests my fears may be unfounded. It looks fantastic—everything that made part one an instant classic, plus extra runtime to give the creeping totalitarianism, nature of “evil,” and united-against-an-enemy propaganda themes some room to breathe.

November seems so far away.