More ‘Wicked’ Movies? Universal Says ‘There Are Things Underway’
Wicked was a single Broadway musical that became two films, with each one roughly representing one act of the hit stage show. That risky creative move turned out to be a major financial windfall for Universal, who got two sell the same property twice — and got to sell Wicked-themed merchandise to fans for two holiday seasons in a row.
But now they’ve exhausted their source material. At least on the stage; Wicked was loosely based on a novel by Gregory Maguire, who wrote several sequels to his book — all of which were based on the original Wizard of Oz stories, of course. So while there isn’t an obvious way to continue Wicked beyond the new Wicked: For Good, that might not matter, given how enormously, uh, popular the films have been for Universal. (Sorry.)
Indeed, a marketing executive at Universal told Vulture that “because of Wicked’s success but also the fanship, we have almost a responsibility to figure out how we can continue in this universe.”
“Have we figured it out yet? No,” they added. “But there are things underway.”
READ MORE: Two Brutally Honest Kids Review Wicked: For Good
Given how much the Wicked musical deviates from Maguire’s novels, it would be tough to adapt them to a direct sequel to For Good. But the new movie does dangle enough threads that could be picked up in another movie involving several of the main characters. (I won’t spoil them if you haven’t seen it yet, but they’re there.)
Interestingly, when I saw the film with my two Wicked-loving daughters last week, my wife asked them whether they would be interested in a third Wicked movie, if Universal decided to make one. I assumed, given their genuine obsession with the films, that their answer would be an enthusiastic yes. Instead, they were far more wary about the idea. “There’s nothing to make,” was my older daughter’s immediate reaction to the idea.
She’s not wrong! Of course, that will not stop Universal from making one anyway; I’d be more surprised if they didn’t try to continue Wicked in some way at least once. These movies are so popular after all. (Again, very sorry.)
The Best Sequels Not Made By the Original Movie’s Director
More From B100
