Universal Is Trying To “Figure Out” More Wicked Sequels
“We have almost a responsibility to figure out how we can continue in this universe.”
With Wicked: For Good, the unstoppable, inescapable juggernaut that is the Wicked franchise seems to be slowing down… but Universal isn’t quite ready to stop the train just yet. The two-part adaptation of the Broadway musical has been a near constant cultural fixture for the past year — and thanks (at least partly) to an omnipresent marketing campaign, the Wicked films have made the studio a whole lot of money. For Good took in $150 million in its opening weekend, and is well on its way to match, or even surpass, its predecessor’s $700 million global earnings. There’s no more of the musical itself to adapt, but Universal is reportedly searching for other ways to spin a new Wizard of Oz-inspired cinematic universe off of Wicked’s success.
“Because of Wicked’s success but also the fanship, we have almost a responsibility to figure out how we can continue in this universe,” Michael Moses, Universal’s chief marketing officer, told Vulture. “Have we figured it out yet? No. But there are things underway.”
Plans for new Wicked stories are “underway” — but how will they work?
Navigating sequel territory for Wicked will be tricky however you slice it. Stephen Schwartz, the original composer for the Broadway musical, has been toying with ideas for a follow-up alongside screenwriter Winnie Holzman. It’s hard to imagine these films continuing without Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba, the “Wicked Witch” of the West, or Ariana Grande’s Good Witch, Glinda. Their chemistry was a huge factor in the success of these films — but with their journeys in the land of Oz more or less finished, Schwartz and Holzman will have to go back to the source.
“I think the Glinda and Elphaba story feels complete — but there are other aspects that could be explored,” Schwartz recently told The Ankler. “Gregory Maguire, the original Wicked novelist, has several books, for example. But there’s another idea that Winnie and I are discussing: not a sequel, but an adjunct.”
Wicked was originally a loose, loose adaptation of Maguire’s novel of the same name, so there’s a chance that any potential sequels or spinoffs could tackle the contents of the author’s other books. Son of a Witch and the more recent Another Day trilogy follow the adventures of Elphaba’s descendants — but any take on these stories would have to take major liberties to align with the films. Universal, Schwartz, and Holzman could feasibly defy the odds and deliver a sequel that makes sense, but it won’t be an easy feat.
