There's no doubt we'd already been changed for good when the first part of Jon M. Chu's Wicked film adaptation came out last year. The film was incredibly popular, and it looks like it'll be the same conjuring of magic when the story concludes this November with the sequel, Wicked: For Good set to land globally on November 21, 2025.
Adapted from Stephen Schwartz' runaway success Broadway show, it was in turn originally adapted from Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel and, of course, L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. We are already so excited following the release of the first Wicked: For Good trailer, and are here to keep you up to date on everything you need to know about Wicked: For Good, including returning cast, release dates, and weighing in on those Dorothy theories.
What is Wicked: For Good about?
Wicked: For Good picks up where Wicked left off with witch Elphaba flying off into the Western sky in a rage. On the ground in the city of Oz, Glinda is taken into custody by the forces of the Wizard of Oz and the scheming Madame Morrible, all the while expressing shock over her friend's decline into cackling evil.
The movie takes place immediately before Dorothy arrives in the land of Oz (as per the events of The Wizard of Oz, released in 1939). The plot will cover the events of the musical's second act, following Elphaba and Glinda's friendship being put to the test as they embrace their new respective identities as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good, and how the consequences of their actions will change all of Oz forever.
Who are in the returning cast of Wicked: For Good?
Cynthia Erivo will of course reprise her role as the conflicted Elphaba, eventually becoming the Wicked Witch of the West. Ariana Grande returns as the increasingly self-aware Glinda, the Good Witch of the East.
Jonathan Bailey will be reprising his role as the dashing Fiyero (rest assured, that release of the lion cub will become all the more significant), Jeff Goldblum is back as the calculating Wizard of Oz and Michelle Yeoh reprises her role as the nefarious Madame Morrible. Other returning cast include Marissa Bode as Nessarose, Elphaba's sister, and Ethan Slater as Boq. The full list of returning and new cast are:
- Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp, the Wicked Witch of the West
- Ariana Grande as Glinda Upland, Glinda the Good
- Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero Tigelaar, Capitain of the Wizard's Guard
- Jeff Goldblum as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz
- Marissa bode as Nessarose Thropp
- Ethan Slater as Boq Woodsman
- Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible
- Bowen Yang as Pfannee
- Browyn James as ShenShen
- Sharon D. Clarke as the voice of Dulcibear
- Adam James as Glinda's father
- Rehema Muthamia will be playing a "Winkie"
Is Jon M. Chu directing Wicked: For Good?
Jon M. Chu has helmed both parts of the Wicked adaptation. The song 'For Good' is the penultimate number featured in the original Broadway musical, and Chu (via Variety) says this informed the movie's title: “I mean, that’s the destination. ‘For Good,’ we know, is like, ‘Where are we going with this movie? Let’s finish this thing.'"
What Stephen Schwartz songs will be featured in Wicked: For Good?
Besides the title number (the melody for which was interwoven into John Powell's score for Wicked), we can expect to hear the Elphaba/Fiyero duet 'As Long as You're Mine', which cements the love affair between the two characters. We can also expect the Elphaba solo number 'No Good Deed', which springs from Elphaba's rage over her continuously thwarted efforts to do good and her inner turmoil about her intention for doing so.
Cynthia Erivo has co-written a brand new song with Wicked's creator Stephen Schwartz. She tells Variety: “I collaborated on one of the new songs, and it’s so special to me. When we filmed it, the entire crew was in tears. I hope audiences are ready — it’s a song that speaks to the heart of who Elphaba is.”
Ariana Grande will also be performing a brand-new song (confirmed by Variety). She says: "It’s a pivotal moment in Glinda’s journey. It shows a side of her we’ve never seen before. In the stage show, this transformation happens offstage. But in the movie, we get to see her make the decision that defines who she is. It’s a privilege to sing this song and be the first Glinda to bring it to life.”
In a more recent interview with Vanity Fair, Jon M. Chu revealed that he and both women met with Schwarz for the first time and this was when the Erivo and Grande both heard early versions of the songs. "“The other half of the story that we never tell is that Stephen played their songs for them for the first time there as well. He’s sitting there, and he is like, ‘Would you guys like to hear the songs I’m thinking of for you?’ And they were like, ‘Yes, please.’”
Has Wicked: For Good been filmed already?
Wicked: For Good was filmed back to back with Wicked during 2023, only to face an interruption from the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes. Filming recommenced in January 2024 and was completed later that month.
If you were already thinking it was a behemoth of a project, Chu also revealed in his Vanity Fair interview that, as is typical with most movies, the film was not filmed in chronological order, with some of the first scenes Erivo and Grande had to film actually taking place in the upcoming sequel, Wicked: For Good. Chu revealed they used big boards to keep track of timelines, applauding the leading ladies for their ability to handle the shifts in time and understand, intrinsically, both sides of Elphaba and Glinda.
What is the Wicked: For Good release date?
Wicked: For Good is scheduled for release on November 21st, 2025. Keep your eyes peeled for the breakdown of the first trailer when it arrives.
What else do we know about Wicked: For Good and how does it differ from the musical?
Fans of the original Broadway show will definitely have some questions after seeing the first trailer. While Glinda refers to Fiyero as her fiancé for instance, a wedding never actually takes place in the stage show, but we see Glinda walk down the aisle to Fiyero in the trailer. Of course, there are also two new songs written by Schwarz, which endeavor to tell an important part of both women's stories and translate it onto the big screen.
There are also a lot of big question marks around Dorothy and her gang traipsing the Yellow Brick Road, and whether or not her character could play a more significant role in the sequel movie.
Who will play Dorothy in Wicked: For Good?
The theories about who will play Dorothy have been wild since the release of the Wicked: For Good trailer, with some people even suspecting Taylor Swift could portray her. Something tells us there's only room for one pop princess in this blockbuster. That said, the theories do pose an interesting question of to what extent we might see Dorothy on the big screen. After all, this is not her story, and she's never actually fully seen during the stage show.
Jon M. Chu seems to understand the gravity of the Wicked storyline being about Elphaba and Glinda's shared backstory, reassuring fans in his interview with Vanity Fair that his handling of Dorothy is very inentional. “We tread lightly, but try to make more sense of how it impacts our girls and our characters than maybe the show does.”
So we may see Dorothy's character play a more involved role in the film. However, if how good Wicked was to go by, we can all agree we're in safe hands with Chu, and any casting news will arrive in due course.
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