Be honest, how many times have you seen part one of the Wicked movie? If you're anything like us at Playbill, you've probably seen it multiple times at this point, as you go back again and again to discover how the film changed from the stage show, admire the elaborate costuming, and analyze the live vocals.
And you're probably more than ready to experience Wicked, Part Two. Unfortunately, you'll have to wait another year as the follow up won't be released until November 21, 2025. And if part one is any indication, part two will probably be just as surprising for longtime Wicked fans. So if you're in a mood to be spoiled, we can give you a hint at what you can expect from part two, which has already been filmed.
Fair warning: beware of flying monkeys spoilers. We're going to be discussing plot points from the musical's source material and the second act of its stage adaptation. If you're not familiar and would rather be surprised when the next film hits movie theatres, click away from this article now!
It Will Be Act Two of the Musical, But Expanded
If you're a Wicked fan, you won't be surprised to know that Part Two will follow Act Two of the stage musical. In Act Two, we learn how Elphaba and Glinda become adversaries (again), if Fiyero and Elphaba end up together, how Nessarose becomes the Wicked Witch of the East, and what happens after Dorothy "melts" Elphaba with water. But Part Two will likely be similar to Part One in that it will have a much longer running time than the stage show's second act, likely over two hours if the first film was any indication. That means it could include elements from Gregory Maguire's source novel, Wicked, as well as the 1939 MGM Wizard of Oz, to pad it out. And another element that will add length to the running time....
There Will Be New Songs
Aside from the new "Wizomania" verses in "One Short Day," Wicked, Part One does not contain any completely new songs. But that will change in Wicked, Part Two. In a 2023 interview, composer Stephen Schwartz said there will be two new songs in Wicked, Part Two: "The storytelling required it, and therefore they were created—the intention was that they were organic and not imposed on the movie...There's new stuff that I think the fans will enjoy. But our hope and intention is that the people to whom the story and the show are important will not in any way be disappointed, but will be thrilled by what they will see and the new stuff that's been added and the way film is used."
Besides the new songs, how will the songs we know and love be treated? In an interview with Rotten Tomatoes, director Jon M. Chu gave more details about the songs for Part Two: "'For Good' is, like, the song. Of course there is 'No Good Deed,' where Cynthia kills this thing. She has her whole monkey army turning to her side and she's accepting the witch that they want her to be. And it is extraordinary. And we have two new songs that I can't talk about yet, but they're very fantastic."
More Focus on Glinda
In an interview with Script Mag, Wicked screenwriter Winnie Holzman (who wrote the book for the stage musical) explained that Part Two will focus on Glinda: "We came to understand that the first movie is Elphaba’s trajectory with Glinda being part of that, and the second movie is Glinda's trajectory to become the person she was destined to become—Glinda the good, and how she becomes that."
That means that there can potentially be new Glinda material, including how she (willingly or unwillingly) becomes an accomplice to Morrible and the Wizard. Perhaps Holzman took scenes from the book, such as how Glinda becomes a friend to Nessa after Elphaba goes into hiding, or how Glinda is the one who gives Nessa's silver shoes to Dorothy and sends her off on the Yellow Brick Road.
In the first teaser for Wicked, Part One, we see a very quick shot of Glinda in a white wedding dress. In the stage show, Glinda and Fiyero get engaged, but they never make it to the alter before he runs off with Elphaba. So is Part Two adding a wedding to heighten the tension? Will Fiyero leave Glinda at the alter? Or is it a dream sequence during Glinda's reprise of "I'm Not That Girl?" I guess we'll have to see what's in store for Oz's favorite good witch.
More Scenes With Dorothy
We got a quick glimpse of Dorothy, along with the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Lion in the opening sequence to Wicked, Part One. This is a big departure from the stage show where Dorothy is only seen in shadow, and much of her storyline happens offstage. The show only had the rights to the L. Frank Baum books and the Maguire Wicked novel, so they couldn't make any visual reference to the 1939 Wizard of Oz film. And really, if Dorothy isn't wearing blue gingham, is it even her? Part Two promises to feature even more of our favorite girl from Kansas, since an early Wicked teaser had a quick shot of Dorothy (in blue gingham) in front of the Wizard, and a closeup of her blue socks wearing Nessa's silver shoes. But will the Wicked film incorporate the script of the 1939 film or use any of the iconic music (especially because we do hear a bit of the "Wicked Witch Theme" in Part One)? Or will it create new scenes for Dorothy inspired by the Wicked novel? Having Dorothy ask Elphaba for forgiveness for killing Nessarose will no doubt be extremely moving on screen. And, of course, it would help pad out the running time!
More Scenes With Nessarose
We can be sure that we'll see Nessarose become the Wicked Witch of the East in Part Two, and her tragic demise. But the film has the potential to further develop her descent into becoming a tyrant. In the show, the first time we see Nessa in Act II, she has become the governor of Munchkinland, and, according to Boq, "Ever since she took power, she's been stripping the Munchkins of our rights... and we didn't have that many to begin with!" The show explains that she's resorted to such drastic measures in order to keep Boq by her side, which seems like an extreme move for your first-ever boyfriend. But the film has potential to make her motivations, like Elphaba's, much more complicated. Perhaps it's a result of becoming increasingly isolated. Or it could be a result of extreme grief (after all, she did lose her father and her sister at the same time). Whatever the reason, there's potential for Nessa's storyline to be a tragic one, rather than one that makes the viewers go "ding dong the witch is dead."
Additional Cameos
It's good to see them, isn't it? Wicked, Part One features cameos from Broadway's original Elphaba and Glinda, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, plus Schwartz and Holzman. Those cameos were kept under very tight wrap, so it was a big surprise for stage fans to see those familiar faces. We expect any cameos in Part Two will be kept under similar tight lock and key. But faces we wouldn't be surprised to see include original Fiyero, Norbert Leo Butz; original Boq, Christopher Fitzgerald; original Nessarose (and, notably, Butz's wife—the two met working on Wicked), Michelle Federer; and the original Wizard, Joel Grey. Whover shows up, it'll be good to see them. And we're taking movie Fiyero, Jonathan Bailey, wearing a shirt with Butz's face on it as a big hint.
(And if you want to see what the entire original Broadway cast has been up to since starring in Wicked, click here).
A New Ending?
If you're a Wicked musical superfan, then you probably know that the ending of the show differs greatly from the Maguire novel. In the novel, Elphaba is allergic to water (she bathes using oil). So when Dorothy throws a bucket of water on her, it does kill her. But in the show, the "pure water can melt her" is one of the many lines of propaganda used against Elphaba. In the stage show, Elphaba (with the help of Fiyero) fakes her death and then leaves Oz with her lover—a much less tragic ending. That makes a big question of whether Part Two will follow the book ending or the stage musical ending.
Well, in the opening of Part One, we see a cloaked figure riding out of Kiamo Ko on a horse that resembles Fiyero's (and we all know that's not Fiyero since he's helping Dorothy). That may be hinting that Elphaba has faked her own death, though the film ending could put a new twist on it by using a horse instead of a trapdoor. And if she was allergic to water, wouldn't Part One have mentioned it?
But then, in an interview, Schwartz and Holtzman have said that they are exploring more Wicked-themed projects after the release of Part Two, with Schwartz saying: "We're actually talking about something. It's under wraps and we can't say too much about it." Added Holzman: "But it's not called Wicked, Part Three and Four." Author Maguire did write a sequel to Wicked, called Son of a Witch, about Elphaba's orphaned son. But him being an orphan means that Elphaba has to die. Otherwise, why would the (secretly good) witch abandon her child?
Needless to say, we have many questions about Wicked, Part Two. Join us back here next year for when we unpack the new film.
