Could Wicked 3 Actually Happen?

John M. Chu’s 2024 adaptation of Wicked smashed box-office expectations, and its follow-up, Wicked: For Good, appears primed to repeat that commercial success. The stage musical that inspired the films likewise redefined Broadway milestones and remains one of the highest-grossing shows in theater history. When a franchise performs at this scale, studios inevitably begin to explore where the story could go next — including the possibility of a third film.

Although Wicked: For Good closes the main arc established by the Broadway production, the original source material offers fertile ground for further tales. Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West spawned three sequels and a spin-off strand that follows Elphaba’s descendants, which screenwriters and producers could mine for inspiration rather than inventing new mythology from scratch.

In the novels, subsequent entries shift focus among different figures in Oz — from Liir, the child of Elphaba and Fiyero, to the Cowardly Lion — but 2011’s Out of Oz recenteres Glinda and the Grimmerie as the kingdom slides toward civil conflict. That volume also hints that Elphaba may have survived events treated as final in earlier retellings. A cinematic continuation that reunites Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande would likely draw on that narrative thread and explore Oz’s fate after the Wizard’s departure, as famously depicted in the 1939 Wizard of Oz.

The stage adaptation and Chu’s film adaptations have already reshaped Maguire’s book — adding, subtracting, and inventing scenes and songs to suit theatrical and cinematic storytelling — including new material from composer Stephen Schwartz. Any hypothetical Wicked 3 would therefore be expected to diverge further from the novels to remain consistent with the changes introduced on Broadway and in the first two films, though the books still provide plausible plotlines to follow.

Whether a third installment happens ultimately comes down to creative appetite as much as box office returns. Chu has acknowledged plenty of proposals are circulating while advising caution and patience — emphasizing the importance of savoring the current success before committing to another chapter. He’s also suggested that audience reception to Wicked: For Good could inform any decision to proceed.

Meanwhile, composer Stephen Schwartz and librettist Winnie Holzman are reportedly developing additional Wicked-related work that Schwartz describes as an “adjunct” rather than a straight sequel — implying it might spotlight a side character, explore simultaneous events, or function as a prequel. Schwartz has also been candid that a direct continuation would need a compelling dramatic justification beyond commercial incentive; until such an idea emerges, he says, there’s no clear reason to move forward with a traditional follow-up.

Wicked: For Good is currently playing in theaters.

Sources: box-office reports, reporting on opening projections, background on the stage production’s records (Broadway milestones), Gregory Maguire’s books and spin-offs (author interview), comments from Chu (Variety), and reporting on new projects by Schwartz and Holzman (The Ankler).

Source: Polygon