Elphaba Thropp a.k.a. the Wicked Witch of the West will be fighting to take down the Wonderful Wizard of Oz in Wicked: For Good, and director Jon M. Chu teases the full extent of her plan and character arc. Now, there is massive anticipation for the adaptation of the second act of the Broadway musical following Wicked’s showstopping ending.
2024’s smash hit Wicked defied all expectations, an adaptation of the musical inspired by the book of the same name starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in the lead roles of Elphaba and Glinda. Both actresses went on to be nominated for their performances, while the movie itself secured a Best Picture nomination and won Best Costume and Production Design.
In an interview with Empire, Chu teased the full extent of Erivo and Grande’s performances, and the challenges Elphaba faces in Wicked: For Good. He suggests that we will see more of a “full masterplan” on Elphaba’s part than in the musical, but that in her darkest hour, she is forced to question whether “one person [can] actually make a difference.” Check out Chu’s full comments below:
I love that people get to see the full masterplan, and the full scope of what Cynthia and Ariana do in this movie. I’m so happy they were appreciated in the first one, but movie two is where the meat comes out. […]
The stakes are higher than ever for Elphaba. She’s fighting to expose the Wizard, but she’s alone in that. Can one person actually make a difference? She’s up against the Wizard’s propaganda, calling her the Wicked Witch, talking about how her skin is green and her soul is impure. What happens when the home you believed in doesn’t want you anymore? Is it worth defending? Why stay?
While Elphaba tries to expose Oz’s corrupt regime, those in charge are positioning her best friend as the “good witch” counterpart in their smear campaign. While Glinda is based in the Emerald City and is adored by the people of Oz, Elphaba has taken refuge in the wilderness, based on glimpses seen in Wicked 2’s trailer.
Empire also debuted a new image of Elphaba in Wicked: For Good, seen below:
As Empire’s Ben Travis says: “She’s going to have to defy more than just gravity this time.”
More exposition on what Elphaba is up to during her time as the “wicked witch” is exactly what the movie sequel needs, as the details of her strategy against the Wizard (played by Jeff Goldblum on screen) are scarce in the show, which is streamlined through focusing on Elphaba’s interactions with other characters rather than her time on her own.
What Chu hints at here is the additional, valuable ways the two-part Wicked movie adaptation is fleshing out the story through its extended runtime. While we will get to see more of Elphaba in action, the movie can also go deeper into the relevant implications of her isolation, when she is the only person in Oz who stands up for what is right.
Our Take On Jon M. Chu’s Wicked: For Good Tease
Wicked: For Good is definitely going to be the darker movie, as anyone who has seen the show will know, and Chu understands on a profound level what that means. It’s not just about Elphaba’s darkest hour song, “No Good Deed,” but how frustrated and hopeless she feels at points. But she’s also not helpless and has a plan to keep going.
Assuming it is faithful to the show, Wicked: For Good will then come to a possibly surprising ending, where the political story is funneled into the resolution of Elphaba’s friendship arc with Glinda. This will be a tearjerker moment, and fans certainly should be listening to Chu’s comments about the leads’ performances when so much of the movie’s impact hinges on them.
