After Wicked: For Good’s record-breaking start at the box office, Universal Pictures is gearing up for more stories set in the Land of Oz. Michael Moses, the studio’s chief marketing officer, told Vulture that “plans are underway” to continue the “Wicked” series on screen. Whether that means a new movie or a TV series remains to be seen, but Universal is clearly interested in expanding the Wicked universe and keeping the series alive.
“Because of the success of ‘Wicked,’ but also because of the fans, we’re almost responsible for figuring out how to continue in this world,” Moses said. “Have you figured that out yet? No. But it’s in progress.”
Moses’ comments follow recent revelations from Stephen Schwartz, who wrote and produced all the songs in the musical “Wicked.” He told Ankler that he already had ideas for a new “Wicked”-related project, based on ideas he had been discussing with the musical’s writer Winnie Holzman.
“The story of Glinda and Elphaba feels complete, but there are other aspects that can be explored,” Schwartz said. “For example, Gregory Maguire, the original novelist of ‘Wicked,’ has several books out. But there’s another idea that Winnie and I are discussing. It’s not a sequel, it’s an ancillary. Let me put it this way.”
Wicked is based on the 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire. Schwartz points out that Maguire has written eight sequel novels, so there’s no shortage of material for potential new films. Maguire’s most recent novel, published this year, was an Elphaba prequel novel titled Elfie: Wicked Childhood. Shortly after Wicked: For Good hit theaters, news broke that Maguire was planning to release a Glinda prequel, Galinda: A Charming Childhood, in 2026.
A question mark remains as to whether Universal plans to recast Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Glinda, but that seems unlikely given that Schwartz feels “the story of Glinda and Elphaba is complete.” Fan praise for the two actors who played these roles propelled the “Wicked” movies to record box office sales, with “Wicked: For Good” setting a new Broadway opening record with $147 million at the domestic box office. The film grossed $223 million worldwide. The two films are guaranteed to cross $1 billion in “For Good”‘s second weekend in theaters. The films were an extraordinary success for Universal, which spent approximately $550 million producing and marketing both films.
