Composer Stephen Schwartz has revealed that the second installment of the upcoming Wicked screen adaption will feature two new songs personally penned by the Tony winner. The first part of the movie musical is set to hit theatres Thanksgiving 2024, with Wicked Part Two: For Good following November 26, 2025.
Schwartz shared the news with The Messenger, stating that the songs were not written in an effort to squeeze in new content. "The storytelling required it, and therefore they were created—the intention was that they were organic and not imposed on the movie," he shared in the interview.
He also said it was a necessity to add new material because of Wicked being presented in two parts. "There's new stuff that I think the fans will enjoy. But our hope and intention is that the people to whom the story and the show are important will not in any way be disappointed, but will be thrilled by what they will see and the new stuff that's been added and the way film is used."
Schwartz gave these quotes while promoting The Prince of Egypt, a film of the stage show written by the composer (with a book by Philip LaZebnik). The musical film is currently available to stream on BroadwayHD and also available for digital purchase and rental.
The two-part screen version of Wicked, adapted from the long-running Broadway hit, will star Tony winner Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and pop star (and Broadway alum) Ariana Grande as Glinda. West End Company Olivier winner and Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey will star as Fiyero, and SpongeBob SquarePants star Ethan Slater will be Boq.
Also in the cast are 2023 Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, and newcomer Marissa Bode as Nessarose, the first wheelchair-using actor in the musical's history to take on the role. Stage and screen star Keala Settle, SNL's Bowen Yang, Bronwyn James, Aaron Teoh, and Colin Michael Carmichael will play roles new to the musical's screen version, with Settle as Miss Coddle, Carmichael as Professor Nikidik, and Yang, James, and Teoh as Shiz students Pfannee, ShenShen, and Avaric, respectively. Yang recently revealed in an appearance on Bravo's Watch What Happens Live that the role of Doctor Dillamond has not yet been cast, with a puppeteer filling in during filming.
The screen adaptation is being helmed by In the Heights screen director Jon M. Chu. Wicked book writer Winnie Holzman has penned the screenplay, and Tony winner Paul Tazewell is designing costumes.
Wicked, injecting a new backstory onto the classic tale The Wizard of Oz, debuted on Broadway in 2003 and continues to be an audience favorite at the Gershwin Theatre. Based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, the musical features music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. The original cast included Tony winners Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively. The musical has subsequently been performed in more than 100 cities across 16 countries, and, in April, surpassed Cats to become the fourth longest-running production in Broadway history.
READ: "My Heart Broke Open": Cynthia Erivo Shares Thoughts on Playing Elphaba in Wicked Films
The show won 2004 Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical (Menzel), Best Costume Design (Susan Hilferty), and Best Scenic Design (Eugene Lee).
