Wicked’s Future Plans Addressed By Universal Exec After Franchise’s $1.24B Box Office Success

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Following the huge success of Wicked and Wicked: For Good – which earned $1.24 billion in theaters – more information is coming out about what’s next for the popular movie series.

Jon M. Chu directed the movie adaptation of the popular Broadway musical Wicked, which was released in two parts, beginning in November 2024. Since the end of Wicked: For Good, fans have wondered if there will be more movies, and the show’s composer, Stephen Schwartz, and writer, Winnie Holzman, have hinted that sequels are possible.

Donna Langley, the head of NBCUniversal Entertainment, recently shared her thoughts on the future of the Wicked movies. In an interview with Variety, she expressed optimism that more films could be made within the Wicked universe, even though the story of Elphaba and Glinda has come to a close. She indicated that there are opportunities to expand the storytelling beyond those two characters and explore more of the world of Oz.

Look, Universal is being really careful with its upcoming projects. I’m hearing from sources that they’re working closely with whoever owns the rights to these characters and stories – basically, making absolutely sure they’re legally covered before anything gets greenlit. It’s smart – they don’t want any nasty surprises or legal battles down the line, and they’re making decisions with those rights holders, not against them.

We’re just starting to explore possibilities beyond the two successful ‘Wicked’ movies, looking at ways to expand the story and its world. We’ll be working closely with the rights holders and moving forward only when they’re ready.

The popular movie adaptations and Broadway show Wicked are all based on Gregory Maguire’s novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. Maguire could tell his story in the world of Oz because the original book by L. Frank Baum is now free for anyone to use, having entered the public domain in 1956.

Copyright is a big concern when considering any future projects related to Wicked. Although the original Wicked book by Baum is freely available, the classic 1939 movie version from Warner Bros. remains under copyright protection.

When adapting Wicked for the stage, the team couldn’t directly copy everything from the Wizard of Oz movie. For example, instead of the famous ruby red slippers, they used silver shoes, which is what L. Frank Baum originally described in his book.

A natural continuation of the story of Wicked could be to base it on one of Gregory Maguire’s other books in the same world. Following the release of Wicked in 1995, he wrote three sequels: Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz.

Following the popularity of his original Oz books, Maguire continued the series with a trilogy called Another Day, consisting of The Brides of Maracoor, The Oracle of Maracoor, and The Witch of Maracoor. He also wrote two prequel novels exploring the backstories of the Wicked characters: Elphie: A Wicked Childhood and Galinda: A Charmed Childhood (the latter is scheduled for release on September 29th).

The creators of the Wicked musical and movies, Schwartz and Holzman, recently shared that they have ideas for future installments, but they haven’t disclosed what those ideas are. They did confirm, however, that any new films won’t follow the story of Elphaba and Glinda, as their narrative concluded with Wicked: For Good.

Following the massive success of Wicked and its sequel Wicked: For Good – which together earned over $1 billion and widespread critical and audience acclaim – Universal Pictures is planning to continue the series. Expect more information to be announced in the next few months.

Wicked: For Good will be released on Peacock on March 20, 2026.

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2026-02-13 21:08