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If you, like the rest of the world, are currently holding space with the lyrics to “Defying Gravity,” then you’ve probably got questions about Wicked: Part Two. None of us know for sure what to expect from the second half of this pop culture phenomenon. Even if you’ve seen the stage play multiple times, the on-screen adaptation is a whole new beast, and we’ve been told to expect surprises.
“If Part 1 is about choices, Part 2 is about consequences,” director John M. Chu told Entertainment Weekly. “Choices are difficult to make, but when you do make those choices, sometimes the result isn’t what you expect it to be. It can be lonely, it can be hard.”
The second Wicked film will follow the second act of the Broadway musical, which is based on the novel Wicked by Gregory Maguire. At the end of Part One, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba delivered a powerful rendition of “Defying Gravity” before flying off. Part Two will pick with Elphaba on the run. The first act of the musical is a prequel to the Wizard of Oz story we know and love. Part Two runs parallel to the events of Frank L. Baum’s classic story, giving viewers a different version of events.
Dorothy Gale, the protagonist of Baum’s Wizard of Oz, never makes an appearance in the stage version of Wicked. However, with the world of Wicked being expanded to break the movie into a two-part extravaganza, there has been lots of speculation that Dorothy will play a bigger role in the second film. Chu has also teased this in an interview with Variety: “There’s a part of me that wants everyone’s Dorothy to be whatever Dorothy they want. And yet, there is interaction and some crossover.” But if she’s in the movie, who will play her? Fans are speculating, but we have no answers yet!
Stephen Schwartz, the original Wicked composer and lyricist, has also written two new original songs for the second film. While he hasn’t offered any specific details about the songs, Schwartz did say, “There’s new stuff that I think the fans will enjoy. But our hope and intention is that the people to whom the story and the show are important will not in any way be disappointed, but will be thrilled by what they will see and the new stuff that’s been added and the way film is used.”
Marissa Bode, the actress who plays Elphaba’s sister Nessarose, has also teased a big change in Part Two for her character. Bode is the first actor to play the character who uses a wheelchair in her life. It was important to Bode that her character wasn’t asking to be “fixed” by Elphaba’s magic. Instead, a new scene will be “focusing on the magic in general” of the story.
What other changes, additions, and surprises can we expect from the second movie? You’ll just have to head to theaters next November to find out. Wicked: Part Two is currently slated for a November 21, 2025 release.
