Jon M. Chu doesn’t think there can be another Wicked movie following Wicked: For Good.
The upcoming musical blockbuster will be the climactic end to Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda’s (Ariana Grande) story, and the 46-year-old director has now admitted there will likely be no extension to the Wicked universe on-screen following Wicked: For Good.
When Telemundo asked the filmmaker if there was a chance of a Wicked spin-off movie after Wicked: For Good, Chu said: “As far as I know, this was always meant to be a two-movie experience.”
Even so, the Crazy Rich Asians director didn’t entirely rule out the possibility of there being more Wicked films.
He said: “You never know. People want that, but they have to see movie two first. Maybe the audience could tell us.”
Chu explained that the Wicked duology is a “journey over a year of time. Everyone can take this era, bring their friends, their family, and get to know these women. Dress up like them and be like them, be inspired by them”.
Even though the In the Heights director emphasised he considered Wicked: For Good to be “the end of an era”, he teased “you never know” what the future may hold for the franchise.
Wicked: For Good – which is based on the second half of the Broadway musical, Wicked – picks up after the events of the first film, and follows Elphaba (Erivo) as she discovers the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) has been lying to the people of Oz about his powers, and has turned her into a public enemy.
Eventually, Glinda (Grande) is forced to choose between her best friend and the Wizard of Oz.
The movie also stars Jonathan Bailey as Prince Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Ethan Slater as Boq and Colman Domingo as the Cowardly Lion.
Chu had previously teased there would be “extra meat” to the story of Wicked: For Good that would pull on fans’ heartstrings.
He told People: “[I hope fans] get the joy and love of movie one, but there’s extra meat on this one.
“This is where you get to see Cynthia and Ariana really come to life as actors. This is their adult selves looking back at their childhood dreams, that are now shattered in front of them.
“So when you look back, I think people will see only both movies as one, not just the first movie and the second movie.
“I’m excited to complete the story for people.”
Chu teased audiences could expect some shocking moments in Wicked: For Good.
He said: “I hope they get a few surprises that they’re not thinking about right now.”
Reflecting on Wicked: For Good, Chu said he could see himself in both Elphaba and Glinda.
He explained: “I think we’re all a little bit Elphaba, but a little bit Glinda. I think that’s the point of the movie – that we struggle.
“No one’s wicked and no one’s good. We’re all just a little bit in between, and we are the average of what we choose every day to be.”
