Wicked
Wicked: For Good Part One ends with Defying Gravity. Green light, Elphaba rises into the air, blackout. On November 22, 2024, I sat in the theater watching the final shot, the credits began to roll, and I didn't move.
I knew it was split into two parts. Knew beforehand. Knew before I bought my ticket. Sitting there, it still felt like being cut off.
Part Two is set for November 21, 2025. Title: Wicked: For Good. When the official poster came out, I saved a copy. Elphaba and Glinda back to back, one green, one pink. The composition mirrors the first film's poster.
I started counting the days. Twelve months.
I went to the theater four times for Part One. First time in an IMAX theater, sat too close, my neck hurt for two days. Second time I brought a friend who'd never seen the musical; she asked me what happens next when we left, I didn't tell her. Third time alone, a weekday afternoon, seven people in the theater. Fourth time on New Year's Eve, a way to close out 2024.
After the fourth viewing, I started noticing things in the margins. Professor Dillamond isn't the only talking Animal at Shiz University. In the cafeteria scene, there's a cat reading a newspaper in the background. I don't know if these details will connect to Part Two.
I have a rough idea of what Part Two will cover. I've seen the original musical, I remember the plot. Part One ends at the first act finale, Part Two is the entire second act. Elphaba will become a fugitive. Glinda will side with the Emerald City. The two of them will have one last meeting.
The two of them will have one last meeting
I don't know how the film will handle that final scene. The stage has its own spatial logic; cinematic language is different. I thought Jon M. Chu's handling of Part One was fine. The camerawork during Popular was a bit much, but the overall pacing held together. Part Two will be harder. The emotion needs to descend, it can't stay high the whole time.
Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba took some getting used to on my first viewing. The Elphaba in my head has looked like Idina Menzel for over a decade. Cynthia's version is different, less externalized, you have to search for what's in her eyes yourself. By my second viewing, I'd accepted it. In Part Two she'll have to carry heavier scenes. I want to see how she plays No Good Deed.
Ariana Grande's Glinda was better than I expected. In Part One, Glinda's scenes lean comedic. Part Two will shift. Thank Goodness is a hard song to perform—the lyrics are laughing while the person has to be crying.
When presale opens, I'll buy tickets. Opening night. This time I'll pick seats in the middle.
News of a film version first came out in 2016. Part One released in 2024. Eight years in between. Director changes, release date changes, production halts, the pandemic. I marked every piece of news on Douban. When the casting was confirmed, I posted on WeChat Moments—four people liked it, three asked me what Wicked was.
November 2025. Eleven months to go. I'll watch Part One a few more times. Wait for new trailers. Wait for new posters. Wait for the official release.
Eleven months isn't long.
I've waited eight years.