After grossing $729 million at the worldwide box office, Wicked became the highest-grossing Broadway adaptation of all time. The sequel was shot back-to-back with the first half of this iconic story, meaning fans won't have long to wait before Wicked: For Good swoops into theaters this November.
That's likely to be an even bigger hit - $1 billion seems likely - and there are already rumblings on social media about Universal Pictures plotting various spin-offs and expansions of the musical.
Snippets of footage from Wicked: For Good were included in Wicked's special features when the movie hit Digital platforms. As we first reported on SFFGazette.com, we now have some posters and promotional shots of both Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba and Ariana Grande's Glinda.
They've been aged up since we last saw them and are rocking new looks. We're sure that won't come as a huge surprise for those of you familiar with the musical and book these movies are inspired by and based on.
Visually, Wicked: For Good looks very much in line with its predecessor and, as this is a "Part Two" following a bona fide box office hit, Universal is likely to take an "if it's ain't broke, don't fix it" approach to marketing this one.
In contrast, Paramount Pictures completely changed Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 2's title to The Final Reckoning and have been hyping it up as a farewell to Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt. Universal, in contrast, won't want us to forget For Good is the only way to find out how this story ends.
Last year, filmmaker Jon M. Chu was asked about the possibility of The Wizard of Oz's Dorothy being a big part of Wicked: For Good. "In the show, Dorothy is around," the filmmaker started. "They have to intersect, and you can only tease it so much. I won’t say whether she’s a character, necessarily, in movie two."
"There’s a part of me that wants everyone’s Dorothy to be the whatever Dorothy they want. And yet, there is interaction and some crossover. So I’ll leave that up to 'Part Two,'" Chu teased.
Check out this first look at Wicked: For Good in the X posts below.
Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Emmy, Grammy and Tony-winning powerhouse Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, a young woman, misunderstood because of her unusual green skin, who has yet to discover her true power, and Grammy-winning, multi-platinum recording artist and global superstar Ariana Grande as Glinda, a popular young woman, gilded by privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart.
They're joined by Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh as Shiz University's regal headmistress Madame Morrible; Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, a roguish and carefree prince; Tony nominee Ethan Slater as Boq, an altruistic Munchkin student; Marissa Bode in her feature-film debut as Nessarose, Elphaba's favoured sister; and pop culture icon Jeff Goldblum as the legendary Wizard of Oz.
Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Jon M. Chu, Wicked is the first chapter of a two-part immersive, cultural celebration. The sequel, recently retitled Wicked: For Good after originally being billed as Wicked: Part Two, arrives in theaters on November 21.