Warning: this article contains spoilers for the Wicked film and Broadway musical
When it comes to the biggest movies of 2024, one of the first films that comes to mind is Wicked, the adaptation of the Broadway musical based on a book in the extremely long-running The Wizard of Oz universe. Wicked, on top of getting great reviews, also broke records at the box office, which bodes very well for its upcoming sequel, which has officially been titled Wicked: For Good, a reference to one of the most iconic songs from the second half of the Wicked musical.
With the runaway success of Wicked, the film’s sequel is already on its way to becoming one of the most exciting movies of 2025, releasing in November, one year after the first film. While the second part was always going to be released, the adaptation’s success means that Universal is undoubtedly looking for ways to continue making films in the Wicked and Wizard of Oz franchise, even if they don’t include the same characters from Wicked. By changing the subtitle of the next film to For Good, they have now opened the door for a continuation, even after the sequel.
Wicked’s Sequel Dropping The “Part Two” Subtitle Makes It Easier For The Story To Continue
A Continuation After Wicked: For Good Will Be Easier To Swallow Now
If the next film had been called Wicked: Part 2, then anything that would be potentially released after would feel strange, as the story being told in these first two movies is clearly split into two parts. A Wicked: Part 3 being released would feel cheap, as the story would have already wrapped up in Part 2, and a film with a subtitle after Part 2 would just feel like an unnecessary spinoff. By giving the second film the subtitle For Good, future films can embrace the Wicked: [Subtitle] naming convention without coming up against those issues.
There’s Already Another Wizard Of Oz Book That Wicked 3 Could Adapt
The Original Wicked Book Has A Sequel That Could Be Used As Inspiration
The obvious question that comes up when talking about a continuation of the Wicked story after For Good is about what story to tell, as the musical manages to wrap itself up quite neatly by the end. However, while the musical is the more popular version of the story, Wicked is actually based on a 1995 book by Gregory Maguire called Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which has a sequel called Son of a Witch, about the son Elphaba has with Fiyero.
There are four Wicked books by Gregory Maguire, called Wicked, Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz, written between 1995 and 2011. The series is known as The Wicked Years.
However, one important thing to note is that the Wicked musical is vastly different from the book, and as the movie is mostly based on the musical, it may be difficult to translate the book’s sequel into a film sequel. The Wicked books are very dark and much more depressing than the musical, so a film would need to do a lot more work to adapt them as opposed to the already family-friendly Broadway show. That being said, it is certainly possible to do well, and with how excellently Wicked is being received, they are more than likely going to try.
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
- Cast
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Cynthia Erivo
, Ariana Grande
, Michelle Yeoh
, Jeff Goldblum
, Jonathan Bailey
, Ethan Slater
, Marissa Bode
, Bowen Yang
, Bronwyn James
, Keala Settle
, Peter Dinklage
, Aaron Teoh
, Grecia De la Paz
, Colin Michael Carmichael
, Adam James
, Andy Nyman
, Courtney Mae-Briggs
, Sharon D. Clarke
, Jenna Boyd - Director
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Jon M. Chu
- Distributor(s)
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Universal Pictures