After Wicked dominated the box office last year, heads turned to the release of Wicked: For Good. The film was one of the most anticipated on the 2025 movie schedule, and it was set to be the explosive end to the Wizard of Oz prequel musical. While the first part was a fun, bouncy story about two unlikely friends, the second part offered something much darker, focusing on a lot of thematic arcs and political allegories that the first film touched upon. Director Jon M. Chu recently opened up about that choice and how the success of the first movie played a big role in how they approached the second.
In a recent Entertainment Weekly interview with the Wicked filmmaker, Chu revealed that the initial plans for the two-part story were altered after Wicked was a record-breaking success last year. The strong reception showed fans were just as interested in the thematic elements as the dance numbers, and deeply cared about these central characters. As a result, the director decided to lean into this, embracing the darkness that the second act of the stage play holds. He said:
When initially planning these two movies, you don't know how people are going to take it. You're like, 'Well, they're going to want the fun and the dance in movie two, so we got to make sure it is light and bubbly. But [For Good] is not a light and bubbly story. Things have shattered.
For context, at the end of the first Wicked film, Oz is in disarray after Elphaba and Galinda learn that the powerless Wizard is using lies and influence to segregate Oz and turn them against the animals. Elphaba flees, refusing to use her immense power to help the Wizard, and she tries to turn Oz against the Wizard. Galinda stays, acting as a symbol of hope that things will get better in Oz.
This dichotomy is what sets the scene for Wicked: For Good, as political turmoil and motivations start to pull friendships apart. This is certainly darker than the more innocent, university setting that Wicked opens with.
Chu also revealed Wicked's record-breaking success last year allowed them to steer away from having to catch audiences up to what was happening in Wicked: For Good. Audiences flocked to the cinemas to see the first musical on the big screen, so they were able to cut out any recap material in the second film that was intended to get audiences back into the story. People were already invested, so they didn’t need all of this. The director explained that this allowed them to embrace the darkness immediately, saying:
You're planning and plotting like, 'Okay, we're going to keep some of [the fun and dancing].' 'You got to do this and that.' But as soon as that first movie came out, we realized, 'We don't need any of that shit.' The audience is in and they want the characters to grow. It gave me a lot of freedom, actually, because now I could sit in that silence. Now I know I don't have to sugarcoat some of those moments.
With Wicked: For Good, Chu seems more than confident that he can trust his audience. The second half of Wicked is famously prickly, but the stage musical has always embraced this, and I’m glad the movies' director is allowing the cinematic audience to do the same. The runaway success of the first film validated these creative choices and encouraged the team to dig deeper. Based on these comments alone, fans should feel content that Chu is promising a finale that’s not only bigger, but bolder and even more resonant.
Fans can see Jon M. Chu’s buzzy film, Wicked: For Good, themselves now, as the movie is in theaters nationwide. You can also revisit the spectacular first film, Wicked, as it is currently available to stream with an Amazon Prime subscription.
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