Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo posing together on a red carpet for Wicked For GoodCredit: Darla Khazei/INSTARimages
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Brennan Klein
Published 38 minutes ago
Brennan Klein (he/him) is a senior news writer at Screen Rant, host of the Attack of the Queerwolf podcast, and contributor at Alternate Ending and Horror Press. He has been writing and podcasting about pop culture (especially horror movies) for over a decade at platforms including Blumhouse, Fangoria, Dread Central, The Backlot, and Arrow in the Head.
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This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.Wicked: For Good may be getting a follow-up. 2025's Wicked: For Good, which stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz) and Ariana Grande as Glinda, is a sequel to 2024's Wicked that adapts the second act of the Broadway musical of the same name, which in turn adapted the 1995 novel of the same name.
In a new report from The Ankler, writer Rob Ledonne shares a comment from Wicked songwriter Stephen Schwartz, who says that he and the musical's book writer Winnie Holzman "are doing some work right now on ideas that aren’t a sequel to Wicked" but take place in the universe of the original Gregory Maguire novel and its follow-ups, without following Glinda and Elphaba.
However, while he confirmed that they are doing that preliminary work, Schwartz cautions that they will only make a project if there is a legitimate creative reason to do so, and "no one has yet presented an idea that I’ve heard that would justify such a thing." Read his full quote below:
If there were a right idea, but I’m just not sure that that right idea exists. What I will tell you without giving away too much is that Winnie Holzman and I are doing some work right now on ideas that aren’t a sequel to Wicked, because I think the Glinda and Elphaba story feels complete — but there are other aspects that could be explored. Gregory Maguire, the original Wicked novelist, has several books, for example. But there’s another idea that Winnie and I are discussing: not a sequel, but an adjunct. Let me put it that way...
If someone could think of a continuation of the story that seemed to have a justification beyond simply making money, of course. As far as right now, no one has yet presented an idea that I’ve heard that would justify such a thing.
This revelation comes in the wake of the news that the Wicked: For Good release has had the best preview screening grosses of the year so far at the domestic box office. While its opening weekend total and overall performance remain to be seen, its worldwide gross could eventually climb to a point somewhere between $700 million and $1.2 billion, given its current trajectory.
Because it is connecting so well with audiences worldwide, it is no surprise that there have been early talks about how to continue the franchise. While this might take a different form from the possible Wicked 3, Maguire has already laid a road map for where the franchise can go in the future.
His book series, called The Wicked Years, includes the follow-ups Son of a Witch (about Elphaba's son, Liir), A Lion Among Men (about the Cowardly Lion), and Out of Oz (about Liir's daughter, Rain). Other installments outside of the flagship series include the prequel Elphie: A Wicked Childhood, the short story collection Tales Told in Oz, and the Rain-centric sequel series titled Another Day.
Any number of these novels could provide the framework for a follow-up to Wicked: For Good. Given the fact that Schwartz and Holzman are involved in this early development, it also seems likely that the project would be a musical with new original songs, much like the two tracks that were composed by Scwartz for the new movie's soundtrack, making it eligible for a Best Original Song Oscar nomination.
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8/10
Wicked: For Good
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed PG Drama Fantasy Romance Release Date November 21, 2025 Runtime 137 Minutes Director Jon M. Chu Writers Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, Gregory Maguire Producers Marc Platt, David Stone
11 Images
Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) with a thoughtful frown in Wicked: For Good
Glinda (Ariana Grande) smiling in Wicked: For Good
Glinda (Ariana Grande) putting on her crown in Wicked: For Good
Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) playing in a marching band in Wicked: For Good
Glinda (Ariana Grande) walking down the aisle surrounded by yellow butterflies in Wicked: For Good
Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) staring into each other’s eyes up close in Wicked: For Good
Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) flying on her broom in Wicked: For Good
Wicked For Good Teaser Thumbnail
Glinda (Ariana Grande) clutching a book to her chest in Wicked: For Good
Glinda (Ariana Grande) floating inside a shimmering bubble in Wicked: For Good
Glinda (Ariana Grande) looking thoughtful in Wicked: For GoodClose
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Cynthia Erivo
Elphaba
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Ariana Grande
Glinda
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This article covers a developing story. Continue to check back with us as we will be adding more information as it becomes available.
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