Fans of the musical Wicked assumed the films would get the “Part One” and “Part Two” treatment. Instead, the first film was simply titled Wicked and now we have an official title for the second film, hitting theaters next November. Which we…sort of knew already.
Two years ago, Cynthia Erivo posted about filming. In it, she covered the title of the second film but fans deuced that it read “Wicked: For Good.” Today, Universal officially announced the title as such so it is news but fans already knew what it was going to be. Honestly though, I love that this isn’t just going to be “Wicked: Part Two.”
The announcement tweet reads as follows: “You will be changed. Wicked: For Good, only in theaters November 21, 2025.” Many fans pointed out that, at the time when it seemed as if Erivo revealed the title, director Jon M. Chu said it was just the code name for now. Jokes on us then for thinking it wasn’t going to be called that.
Everyone is very excited for the second film to come out though. Even if we still have to wait nearly a year to see the continuation. But the title should excite fans of the musical.
If you’ve been waiting to immerse yourself in Elphaba’s story until the films, you might no want to read ahead. I’m going to unpack why the movie is called Wicked: For Good and spoilers for the musical will be unpacked. You’ve been warned.
Why “For Good”?
In Act Two of the musical, there is a song titled “For Good” which comes after Elphaba and Glinda have been separated for quite some time. Elphaba has been labeled as the “Wicked Witch” and Glinda was working with Madame Morrible and the Wizard to push this narrative. But we watch throughout the act as Glinda clearly misses her best friend.
When they are back together, they sing the song and it is all about how their friendship has changed each of them “for good.” Meaning that they are forever new people because they had each other in their lives. There is a lyric that says “Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better? But because I knew you, I have been changed for good.” The idea is that no one can really say whether or not someone is better for having a person in their life. But they can see how that person has changed them.
I think that is a beautiful lesson that Wicked teaches us. Glinda is taught how to be accepting and brave, Elphaba learns how to love, and all of it comes from this beautiful relationship between the two of them. So calling the second film Wicked: For Good reminds us that this isn’t a love story between Glinda/Fiyero/Elphaba. It is about how a friendship can change your life.
I cannot wait to see how Erivo and Ariana Grande bring For Good to life and I know that I’m going to be crying through the entire movie.
Published: Dec 16, 2024 05:41 pm