A number of musicals have won Best Picture over the years, and another contender is coming in the form of Jon M. Chu‘s Wicked: For Good. The first movie (which is streaming with an Amazon Prime subscription) was an Oscar-nominated success, and anticipation for the sequel is sky high. Moviegoers are expecting Dorothy Gale to factor into the drama, although it turns out that we won’t see the Wizard of Oz protagonist’s face throughout its runtime. Chu explained why this was a purposeful choice, and it makes a great deal of sense.
What we know about Wicked: For Good depends on how well you know the stage musical. But even hardcore fans will seemingly be surprised, including the two new songs written by Stephen Schwartz. In an interview with People, the Crazy Rich Asians director explained why we won’t see Dorothy’s face in the sequel, saying:
I didn’t want to step on who you think Dorothy is in whatever story that you came into this with. [This] is still Elphaba and Glinda’s journey, and she is a pawn in the middle of all of it.
This makes a great deal of sense narratively, and also continued in the trend of the stage show. In it Dorothy off stage and referenced, except for the ending where her shadow is seen throwing a bucket of water on Elphaba a la The Wizard of Oz. There’s been online debate about who is playing Dorothy in Wicked: For Good, but it seems like that discourse was ultimately for nothing.
Prior to these latest comments, Jon M. Chu teased how much Dorothy we’ll see in Wicked‘s sequel. While footage has shown her alongside the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion, we seemingly shouldn’t expect her to have any lines of dialogue. At least not enough to warrant showing her face in For Good. After all, she’s not the focus of this particular story. That honor goes to Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo‘s Glinda and Elphaba.
Despite this, Dorothy and her friends have been featured pretty heavily in Wicked: For Good‘s trailers. This is presumably thanks to the ongoing fan love for The Wizard of Oz, hopefully convincing non-musical fans to head to theaters and see it for themselves. We just shouldn’t expect too much from Judy Garland’s signature character.
While Dorothy’s face won’t be featured in For Good, the same can’t be said for her friend. I won’t spoil how the Scarecrow and Tin Mn factor into the story, but Colman Domingo is voicing The Cowardly Lion in the sequel. How much we’ll hear from his remains to be seen, but this is definitely something fans are interested in.
All will be revealed when Wicked: For Good hits theaters on November 21st as part of the 2025 movie release list. The early buzz for the sequel is overwhelmingly positive, so we’ll have to see if it manages to beat out the success of its predecessor.