After Wicked dominated the box office last year, heads turned to the release of Wicked: For Good. The film was one of the most anticipated on the 2025 movie schedule, and it was set to be the explosive end to the Wizard of Oz prequel musical. While the first part was a fun, bouncy story about two unlikely friends, the second part offered something much darker, focusing on a lot of thematic arcs and political allegories that the first film touched upon. Director Jon M. Chu recently opened up about that choice and how the success of the first movie played a big role in how they approached the second.
In a recent Entertainment Weekly interview with the Wicked filmmaker, Chu revealed that the initial plans for the two-part story were altered after Wicked was a record-breaking success last year. The strong reception showed fans were just as interested in the thematic elements as the dance numbers, and deeply cared about these central characters. As a result, the director decided to lean into this, embracing the darkness that the second act of the stage play holds. He said:
