3 Ways the Wicked Movie Franchise Can Continue After For Good

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While the musical ends on a high note, certain plot threads and the sprawling established lore set up multiple opportunities for the film series to venture beyond the boundaries of the stage play and continue exploring the complicated themes of good, wickedness, and power in the Emerald City.

3) Adapting the Rest of Gregory Maguire’s Books into Films

Years before Wicked debuted on Broadway, it was originally a novel written by Gregory Maguire. The musical took a much lighter and family-friendly approach to Maguire’s adult-themed source material. However, Maguire did not end the series with just one book. The films could adapt the remaining books in Maguire’s Wicked series, beginning with Son of a Witch or even Maguire’s newest installment, Elphie—the 2025 prequel that follows Elphaba’s childhood. Adapting these novels keeps the connection to the original literary inspiration while moving the focus away from Elphaba and Glinda’s famous story.

Maguire’s sequels delve deeper into the established world, exploring the fate of characters like Elphaba and Fiyero’s son, Liir, and the long-term political ramifications of the Wizard’s downfall. This approach allows the franchise to become a broader fantasy epic about Ozian history and darker themes, rather than remaining solely focused on the two main characters.

2) An Elphaba and Fiyero Standalone Film

Given the twist ending of both the film and the musical, showing that Elphaba faked her own death to reunite with Fiyero (who she accidentally turned into the Scarecrow), a spin-off could focus entirely on their life in the years following their escape from Oz. Their faked death is a blank slate for exploring their hidden life as they navigate a completely unexplored part of the world—one that appears desolate and uninhabited.

This approach allows for a more intimate story about two characters finding quiet happiness while grappling with the consequences of their rather traumatizing grand finale in Wicked. Considering Wicked as a whole only spends a scant amount of time establishing Fiyero and Elphaba’s love story, a standalone film could finally dig into the crux of their relationship instead of leaving fans with the few fleeting scenes exploring their romance. It could also explore how they grapple with Fiyero’s new form, Elphaba’s extraordinary powers, and the guilt/sadness of leaving Glinda behind to think they are both dead, along with their desire for a normal, peaceful existence away from the politics of the Emerald City.

1) A Direct Sequel Focusing on Glinda

For Good ends on a note that is wholly original from the Broadway play, swinging the door wide open for a sequel that would make the most sense overall. Glinda finally steps into her own and breaks out of her “bubble,” ousting the corrupt Wizard and Madame Morrible to lead Oz as more than just a figurehead, but as a true agent of change and good, just as Elphaba wanted. A sequel could focus on Glinda’s reign as the new leader of Oz as she makes it a safe place for people of all different backgrounds, as well as the previously persecuted Animals.

In the closing moments of For Good, the Grimerie opens for Glinda, suggesting she unlocked something new and powerful inside of her, granting her the ability and moral clarity to practice powerful, purposeful magic like Elphaba. A new story could center on her struggle to continue Elphaba’s goals while still upholding her promise not to clear Elphaba’s name, and finally possess magic, not as for fancy, benign tricks, but to live up to her name as Glinda the Good.

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