The Desert In Wicked: For Good Ending Clarified By Director

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Director Jon M. Chu has explained the meaning behind the desert scene in the new movie Wicked: For Good. The film, released this weekend, continues the story from the second act of the popular stage musical. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo return as Glinda and Elphaba, and the cast also includes stars like Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater, Jeff Goldblum, and Jonathan Bailey.

The movie is already a big success, earning $30.8 million during its Thursday previews. This is the best preview performance of the fall season and the highest of any movie released so far this year.

After the movie came out, director Jon M. Chu explained a key part of the ending, as reported by Entertainment Weekly. He discussed what the desert Elphaba and Fiyero walk into at the very end means. Chu revealed that the team initially explored much more ominous and frightening versions of that desert.

Ultimately, the version they chose conveyed a much more optimistic message. It symbolized hope and what could be.

The desert can feel frightening, even like facing your deepest fears. But it’s not an empty, lifeless place – it’s full of potential. No one has truly ventured into the unknown because they’re afraid. Let’s bring some wonder and excitement to it!

The desert setting in Chu’s work comes from L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, the story Wicked is based on. Baum originally portrayed this barren land outside of Oz as the ‘Deadly Desert’.

The name suggests a truly frightening and ominous location. This feeling of dread is where Chu first developed the idea of a desert that was “darker and scarier.” It would have established the place as incredibly intimidating, perfectly setting the stage for the experience of “walking into your fears.”

There wasn’t a set way this desert was supposed to look. It’s not shown in the original Wizard of Oz book, and the stage musical leaves it open to interpretation. So, the movie gave director Chu and his team the opportunity to decide exactly what it would look like visually.

Although the desert setting in Wicked: For Good isn’t highly detailed, it doesn’t feel entirely hopeless. Despite appearing empty, it’s not a barren wasteland because it doesn’t simply consume Fiyero and Elphaba. They seem to be walking into emptiness, but this actually suggests potential and opportunity, reflecting the director’s vision.

This ending for Wicked: For Good could have been sad, but it offers a hopeful outlook. While Elphaba lives, Glinda doesn’t know and Elphaba is now in hiding, and Fiyero is permanently altered. However, this new beginning in the desert suggests that being changed for good might actually lead to new opportunities.

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2025-11-22 03:28