If you had asked me, twelve years ago at a clammy West End matinee, whether Wicked would ever stick the landing on the big screen, I'd have hedged my bets. Now, after a year of global box office chaos, here we are: the first posters and a new featurette for Wicked: For Good, Jon M. Chu's high-gloss, high-stakes sequel, are out—and, gods, do they shimmer and bite.
The first film shattered records, hauling a king's ransom and nabbing ten Oscar nods—including wins for best costume and production design. No small feat. But if the first movie soared, For Good feels like a storm gathering at the Emerald City's gates. This is a story that doesn't care if you're ready; it's fashioning its own legend, brick by golden brick.
Let's get the facts straight—the release date is set: November 21, 2025. Mark it, tattoo it, whatever ritual you require. Here, we leap years ahead: Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo, magnetic as a pulling tide) is no longer Oz's social outcast-in-waiting; she's a full-fledged enemy of the state, a “Wicked” branded by fear and politics. Meanwhile, Glinda (Ariana Grande, iridescent and torn) has drifted—no, danced—her way to the icy center of power, living like a department store mannequin for the Wizard's regime, a face that sells false hope to frightened Ozians.
The new featurette (more a fever dream behind-the-scenes than studio puff piece) cracks the varnish on their split fates. Elphaba, hunted and haunted, is fighting for Oz's voiceless. Glinda, perched atop privilege, spirals inside the role she's been handed—but there's no joy in her pageantry, only echoes of loss. Chu leans into the estrangement—friendships fraying, ideals corrupted. There's real pain, real consequence. Gone are the days of Broadway's thin subtext.
Hell, they even brought new ammo to the song list. Stephen Schwartz (still sharp, somehow not jaded) wrote two original numbers—one for each witch, doubling down on the psychological duels and solo reckonings that always gave act two its bite. Ensemble bops? Fewer now. It's a musical for the age of self-interrogation—less jazz hand, more introspection.
Here's the great coup: Dorothy (traditionally a shadow in the musical, clever move) actually gets a bit more sunlight. With Michelle Yeoh's Madame Morrible and Jeff Goldblum's Wizard pulling the puppet strings…this is Oz as a surveillance state, a place where good intentions rot faster than you can say “there's no place like home.” If the first movie was nostalgia candy, For Good is tougher meat.
Silver screen nostalgia heads, don't fret—you'll still see Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, and—yes—Peter Dinklage (as Dr. Dillamond, in full existential bovine mode). The returning cast is nearly wall-to-wall—shot back-to-back, these two films echo and refract each other.
But here's what lingers: that duel on the yellow brick road, the near-mythic pain of two friends who made each other and ruined each other, all beneath skies that never settle. “For Good” isn't just a song; it's a warning and a prayer.
Anyway, watch the featurette, stare down the posters. Gasp at the candy-floss colors, the shadowy gothic cliff. Listen closely to the cynicism under the showtunes. If you've ever lost a dear friend to time, ambition, or the quakes of growing up, this—this—is your movie.
5 Big Things the Wicked: For Good Rollout Just Revealed
- Release Date Lock-In: November 21, 2025—nearly one year after the original shattered box office and Oscar tallies.
- Darker Oz, Deeper Wounds: Elphaba and Glinda, now at odds, spiral further into public myth and private pain.
- New Solo Songs: Stephen Schwartz wrote two new pieces, each spotlighting the competing hopes and heartbreaks of its heroines.
- Expanded Dorothy & Crew: For the first time, Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion are more than just shadows—integrated fully into the story's showdown with Oz.
- Spectacle Meets Substance: Shot back-to-back, the entire principal cast returns. Expect lush visuals but with more emotional knives beneath the sequins.
