During the promotion of Wicked, which was released at the end of last year, Universal didn’t emphasize that this was only the first part, meaning we wouldn’t get a complete story. However, anyone who paid close attention knew that the crew was shooting two films at once, and the second part will be in theaters this November. The producer of the musical fantasy, Marc Platt—who is also the producer of the Broadway shows the films are based on—originally disagreed and wanted the Wicked film to be presented as one long movie, with an intermission in the middle.
"I remember when I was a kid and went to the movies, watching musicals or Lawrence of Arabia, which had intermissions, and that’s actually how I imagined Wicked as well, to make it with an intermission. I lost that battle," Platt said, who is also competing for the Oscar as a producer, as Wicked has been nominated for Best Picture along with 9 other categories. Another nominee succeeded in doing what Platt could not: The Brutalist, also nominated in 10 categories, will have an intermission during its screenings in theaters.
Platt also spoke about how, during the adaptation, they couldn't condense the story of Wicked, which takes place in the world of Oz, into a single film of average length. In fact, there were things that had to be removed from the stage versions, but now they wanted to explore them more. For example, Elphaba's childhood, played by Cynthia Erivo, what she truly thinks of the Wizard, and what her deepest desire is. Regarding the second part, the producer mentioned that Ariana Grande's Glinda will be the focus, as she learns what it really means to be good.
Wicked 2, or Wicked: For Good, will debut in theaters this November.
