First Look: Magic, Music, and More in the Epic Second Chapter of Wicked
“What is this feeling, so sudden and new?” That wave of excitement sweeping the internet is the first glimpse of Wicked: For Good, the long-awaited second installment of Jon M. Chu’s two-part film adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical.
Fans were in full celebration mode on Wednesday, June 4, when Universal dropped the first teaser trailer — giving a powerful preview of what’s to come after last year’s smash hit Wicked enchanted audiences and critics alike.
The sequel picks up years after the dramatic conclusion of the first film, as Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) vanishes from Oz, labeled a “wicked witch” by her manipulative mentor Madame Morrible (Michele Yeoh), while Glinda (Ariana Grande) is left to navigate a fractured kingdom. Now, Wicked: For Good promises to explore the emotional fallout and evolution of both characters in a story about legacy, power, and misunderstood heroism.
Although the tale has been split into two movies, both parts were filmed together — a journey that wrapped in January 2024. Erivo marked the milestone with a celebratory Instagram post featuring a shadowy silhouette of herself mid-flight on a broomstick, captioned: “That’s a wrap for me, Elphie out!!”
Screenwriter Winnie Holzman shared with ScreenRant that the creative team — including composer Stephen Schwartz and producer Marc Platt — ultimately agreed that the musical’s rich story needed more space to breathe. “There was just too much story for one movie,” Holzman explained. “We didn’t want to cut songs — if anything, we wanted to add songs and go deeper.”
And it paid off. The first film became a runaway box office success, earning a staggering $114 million during its opening weekend in North America — more than double the $55 million pulled in by Gladiator II, which released the same day. The global box office followed suit, and soon the film was not just a commercial juggernaut but an awards contender, scoring 10 Oscar nominations.
Amidst all the buzz, one interview clip from the press tour stood out: a heartwarming moment where Erivo and Grande teared up hearing how fans were “holding space” for the lyrics to “Defying Gravity” on social media — a testament to the emotional connection the story continues to spark.
Wicked: For Good hits theaters on November 21, 2025 — and fans can already feel the magic building.
