Those who have been to the movie theater recently to see Wicked can confirm it is worth the hype… and director Jon M. Chu has confirmed Part Two of the musical adaptation is worth the wait.
The Crazy Rich Asians director is not one to keep secrets from fans. Since production began, he has not stopped sharing Wicked content online and teasing as much as possible without spoiling anything important. A tough task, given how hungry people are to see what happens in Wicked: Part 2, which isn’t scheduled to be released on the 2025 movie schedule until November.
That being said, there is already a rough cut of the film, and Chu’s latest comments in an interview with Empire have me pumped for an equally fantastic, if not better, sequel to Wicked:
I’ve watched both movies next to each other, and all I’ll say is: we have the goods. Round two is a doozy.
This sounds like we are in for an emotional rollercoaster of an incredible film, and I am here for it. Plus, Wicked’s box office numbers speak for themselves and Part 1 exceeded expectations, with people saying some musical numbers and key moments were even better than the stage production. So, I think we are in for one hell of a ride with the second movie that’s now titled Wicked: For Good.
Of course, a lot of the enchanting nature of the film was due to the pairing of Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda. The two really bonded over the course of filming the two movies back to back, completely immersing themselves in the magic of Oz and the story of Wicked, although they weren’t the only ones.
The main reason I trust the word of Jon M. Chu is because he has shown that he spared no expense in making Oz a reality. Typically a Hollywood blockbuster with such extravagance and grandeur has to be created with a ton of effects, CGI, and animation added in post-production. Not saying all that makes a bad movie, but having things like a real 16-ton train to Emerald City makes a huge difference for both the actors and the audience. Plus, so much thought and detail went into everything from the bead pattern on Glinda’s original pink bubble dress to the blocking for Elphaba’s iconic hat.
Thankfully, the buzz surrounding the film’s debut certainly will not die down anytime soon, but many fans are already asking questions about the events of Part 2.
Splitting movies typically doesn’t go over well with audiences, but in this case, it serves an important viewing purpose and is not a dragged-out cash grab. The main reason for the split, besides to avoid cutting material, was to be able to accurately create the literal show-stopping moment that is “Defying Gravity,” arguably the most famous and well-known part of the original play.
So Part 1 followed the yellow-brick roadmap laid out by its reference material’s first act, meaning Wicked: Part 2 will pick up with Act II of the Broadway show. This has left many fans speculating online about how the film adaptation will carry out certain canonical events, who is to appear in essential roles, and what might be cut or changed from the play.
In a fun surprise for die-hard fans, the Step Up 2 director has all but confirmed the presence of the song “The Wicked Witch Of The East,” infamously left off the Broadway original soundtrack. Clearly, he is in touch with what fans want to get out of this adaptation, and he also has proven he is a big fan of Wicked himself.
So I’m confident I’m stating the general consensus when I say, I have full faith in Jon M. Chu to carry Wicked to its full potential.