Should you find the hype around Jon M. Chu’s Wicked adaptation so overwhelming as to become—as Glinda herself might put it—confusifying, just remember this: It’s far from over! As Wicked: Part One takes over the world this month, its dogged marketing team is only just settling in for a second term. Wicked: Part Two is already on its way, and will continue the saga of Elphaba and Glinda where Part One left off on a (literal) high note. For long-time Wicked fans and newcomers alike, here’s a quick guide to what you can expect next.
When will Wicked: Part Two come out?
The sequel will drop almost a year to the day after its predecessor. Wicked: Part Two is scheduled to land in theaters November 21, 2025.
Who will be in the Wicked: Part Two cast?
Because the first and second films were shot back-to-back (and wrapped in January 2024), director Jon M. Chu won’t need to convince his actors to return for a separate production slot. For that reason, you can expect the same cast from Part One to appear in Part Two, including Cynthia Erivo (Elphaba), Ariana Grande (Glinda), Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero), Michelle Yeoh (Madame Morrible), Jeff Goldblum (The Wizard), Ethan Slater (Boq), and Marissa Bode (Nessarose).
As for potential newcomers to the Part Two cast, we’ll likely have to wait for news on the front. But it would seem the Wizard of Oz protagonist Dorothy Gale herself could have a more sizable role in the second film. As Chu told Screen Rant, Dorothy’s quick cameo in Part One “is important because [it] plays a significant role in what will happen...But you’ll have to see movie 2 to know how far we go with her.”
What songs will be featured in Wicked: Part Two? And will there be new songs?
Chu’s Part One adaptation is adamantly faithful to the musical’s first act, and we can expect Part Two to follow the same pattern—and therefore feature all of Act 2’s songbook. Those numbers include:
- “No One Mourns the Wicked” (Reprise)
- “Thank Goodness”
- “The Wicked Witch of the East”
- “Wonderful”
- “I’m Not That Girl” (Reprise)
- “As Long As You’re Mine”
- “No Good Deed”
- “March of the Witch Hunters”
- “For Good”
- “Finale”
As reported last year, Wicked: Part Two will also feature two new songs, both composed by Stephen Schwartz, the mastermind behind the original musical. Chu reiterated this news in a recent interview with Games Radar, saying, “We get maybe a new song—or two. We get more into the meat, and the best is yet to come with these characters.”
What will happen in Wicked: Part Two?
Now we’re entering spoiler territory, so if you’re not one of the thousands of theater kids that know every Wicked riff by heart, be forewarned.
Like Act 2 of the musical, Part Two will pick up some time after the cliffhanger ending of Part One, which sees Elphaba escaping the Wizard of Oz and Madame Morrible via enchanted broomstick. In Part Two’s new reality, Glinda is now Glinda the Good, a beacon of hope to Oz’s increasingly red-pilled (or, shall we say, green-pilled?) citizens. Nessarose is the new mayor of Munchkinland; the Wizard and Madame Morrible’s propaganda campaign against Elphaba has reached new heights; and Fiyero has become the Wizard’s captain of the guard, less out of fealty to the Wizard than out of desire to find (and aid) Elphaba.
When Glinda announces she and Fiyero are engaged, this is unwelcome news to him, and he decides to continue his pro-Elphaba campaign with or without his apparent fiancé. But when Elphaba at last re-appears, it’s in Munchkinland, where she’s arrived to visit her sister, Nessarose. As Nessa makes her anger and bitterness with Elphaba apparent, the latter’s attempts to do “good” backfire on her yet again. From there, she embraces her role as Wicked Witch of the West...if only to give Ozians the common enemy they so desire.
What might Wicked: Part Two incorporate from the book?
As theater kids who adored Wicked the musical—and sought to feed their obsession with the source material—might recall, Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West is...different, to say the least. The book is not only much more expansive in the sociopolitical terrain it covers, but it’s also more violent and more sexually explicit. (It’s also, frankly, weirder.) Given Part One’s PG rating, it’s unlikely Part Two will venture far from that precedent, and will therefore have to skip many of the darker turns in Maguire’s novel.
Still, there are some cues we can expect Chu might take from Maguire. One is the presence of Dorothy Gale, who plays a much more essential role in the book than she does in the musical adaptation. Another possibility is that Part Two might make further reference to Oz’s political landscape, as Part One only skims the surface of why Oz is so anti-animal rights. Justice for Dr. Dillamond.
Could Dorothy really make an appearance?
As referenced above, Chu says Dorothy “plays a significant role in what will happen,” but he’s keeping his lips sealed as to what, exactly, that means. So far, the character has made a quick cameo—though shown from behind—in the beginning of Wicked: Part One.
Chu further explained to Variety, “In the show, Dorothy is around. 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.’”
How can I watch Wicked: Part One in preparation?
Fly to your nearest theater, friends—at least until the film lands on Peacock early next year.
This story will be updated.
Lauren Puckett-Pope
Culture Writer
Lauren Puckett-Pope is a Culture Writer at ELLE.com, where she primarily covers film, television, and books. She was previously an Associate Editor at ELLE.com.
