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Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Wicked For Good: Your Questions About The Cast And Release Date (Plus The Scarecrow And Tin Man) Answered
Excitement for the musical sequel Wicked For Good is really starting to build following the release of the new film's first trailer. We'll admit that when we first heard that the stage musical Wicked was being split into two, we rolled our eyes a little – but after seeing Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande in action last year, we now can't wait for the second instalment. There are still a few months to go until our next trip to Oz, but we know you might have a few questions between now and then. So, here's everything we know about the second movie… Initially billed as Wicked Part 2, it was revealed towards the end of 2024 that the sequel would be given the subtitle For Good, based on the show-stopping eleven o'clock performed as a duet between Elphaba and Glinda towards the end of the musical. The decision was met with a mixed response, but Ariana has claimed that Wicked For Good was actually already being touted as a title for the project when it was being filmed. 'I'm glad it's official now because we grew rather attached to it,' she said last year. 'It's just the perfect title because this project really has changed us for good.' Fans of the original musical will know that the second act begins with Thank Goodness, an ensemble number that helps catch us all up with what's gone down among the cast of characters since we last saw them. Besides that, we can look forward to the dramatic Elphaba number No Good Deed, her duet with Fiyero, As Long As You're Mine, and, as mentioned above, For Good, which has become one of Wicked's signature tunes. There's also another solo for the Wizard, Wonderful which… yeah… let's not even go there. While Wicked's original composer extended the One Short Day sequence in the first film, he's gone one step further in the sequel, and penned two new songs. Director Jon M Chu recently confirmed that one of these will be a new solo for Cynthia, while another will be performed by Ariana. Wicked itself is a retelling of the events of The Wizard Of Oz, retold from the perspective of its witches, Elphaba (known in the 1939 film as simply the Wicked Witch Of The West) and Glinda (who comes to be known as the Good Witch Of The North). Act one begins with Munchkinland celebrating the news of Elphaba's death, before taking us back through her younger years to explore her years at school. The second act – on which Wicked For Good is based – revisits the characters later in life, with Elphaba exiled and a public enemy, thanks to efforts from the Wizard Of Oz and Shiz professor Madame Morrible, and still harbouring feelings for Fiyero, to whom Glinda is now engaged. It also addresses more directly how specific events in the Wizard Of Oz came to be, including Dorothy's arrival in Oz, and her becoming friends with the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion. Evidently, yes. While Dorothy is never seen on stage in the original production of Wicked, we've already caught a glimpse of her in the opening moments of the first film. Dorothy is also seen – once again from behind – in the latest trailer for Wicked For Good, suggesting the character will be more prominently featured in the movie than the stage musical. Chu told Vanity Fair: 'We tread lightly, but try to make more sense of how [Dorothy's arrival] impacts our girls and our characters than maybe the show does.' 'We're delicate. We're delicate. We're delicate,' he then insisted, reassuring anyone concerned about him taking any big swings away from the source material. It was previously reported that Matilda star Alisha Weir portrays Dorothy in the movie, though this is yet to be confirmed. Alright – we're going to be giving away some major Wicked spoilers now, so if you've never seen the stage musical and want to avoid these twists, just keep scrolling down to the next section. Did you hear that? Spoilers are ahead. Scroll to the next section if you want to avoid them. OK, we think they're gone. Let's proceed… So, Elphaba inadvertently creates the Scarecrow when she casts a spell on Fiyero – played by Jonathan Bailey – in an attempt to save his life in No Good Deed. The Tin Man, meanwhile, is created by Nessarose, who is played in the film by Marissa Bode. She attempts to use magic herself for the first time on Boq (Ethan Slater's character) to prevent her from leaving him, only for it to go awry, and turn him into the mechanic woodsman. As you've probably guessed, the Cowardly Lion is that same cub who Elphaba and Fiyero rescue in the first movie. Right here! Enjoy: The film will hit cinemas on Friday 21 November, with the film expected to be re-released in selective cinemas before then, to allow everyone to revisit the events of the first film. 9 Things We Need To Talk About Immediately In The New Wicked For Good Trailer 22 Weird And Wonderful Behind-The-Scenes Secrets You Probably Never Knew About How Wicked Was Made
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'He Really Did That': People Can't Cope With The Author Of 'Wicked's' Seriously Brutal Reason For Giving Elphaba The Last Name 'Thropp'
It's fair to say that Wicked has been having a bit of a moment in recent months, entirely thanks to the movie adaptation that was released back in November, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Prior to the film, the story was perhaps best known for its stage show, which you may be surprised to learn isn't its actual origin. In fact, Wicked's roots actually trace back to a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire called Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which was, in turn, inspired by the 1900 L. Frank Baum book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and its famous 1939 film adaptation. Just eight years after Maguire's book was released, his now-iconic story about Glinda and Elphaba made its transition to the stage, debuting in San Francisco in 2003. Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth famously originated the lead roles in the show, and they continued to lead the cast when Wicked transferred to New York City's iconic Broadway later that same year. And while Idina, Cynthia, Kristin, and Ariana undeniably know almost everything there is to know about the beloved characters that they've brought to life on both stage and screen, nobody knows more than the man who first developed these characters way back in the '90s. Luckily for us, Gregory took part in a "Writing Wicked" panel at BroadwayCon on Sunday, where he generously shared some insight into his process when writing the book. Gregory was joined by Winnie Holzman, who wrote the script for the stage adaptation of Wicked and co-wrote the two movies. In footage shared by the Broadway Maven, Gregory was asked how he came to write the Wizard Of Oz spin-off, and he revealed that it was largely due to the annual television airing of the 1939 film being the only movie he and his family watched growing up. He recalled acting the movie out with his siblings the next day, and he 'started inventing with the story' at age 6. Winnie later detailed changing Glinda's last name when she adapted Gregory's book because he had given her 'a long name' in the novel, and she wanted something 'a little shorter' like Elphaba, whose last name is Thropp. She offered the fun fact that she settled on 'Upland' for Glinda in tribute to Gregory, who confirmed that he has lived at 'three different addresses' with 'Upland' in the street name. Returning the favor, Gregory explained why he chose 'Thropp' to be Elphaba's last name. He told the crowd: 'Nobody has ever asked me where Elphaba's last name comes from, her name is Elphaba Thropp.' 'Like 'Elphaba,' I didn't want it to be a pretty name,' Gregory went on. 'First and last name, I did not want it to be elegant and synonymous and sensuous: Elphaba Thropp, [it's] slapstick.' He deadpanned: ''Thropp' is the sound that a house makes when it falls on your sister.' This is, of course, a reference to Elphaba's sister Nessarose's death in the story, and the brutal reality of Gregory's thought process left Wicked fans absolutely gagged when his quote surfaced on X. Reacting to a viral Wicked Update account tweet about what the author had said, one person wrote: 'i just thropped to my knees.' 'he's so real for that,' another replied. One more popular response reads: 'Dark humoured, camp king.' 'After you read the Wicked books and think, 'Who could write such a WEIRD, deep, political, eccentric thing?' and then look up Gregory Maguire, it all makes sense,' somebody else remarked. Another simply wrote: 'He did that. He really did that.' One more quipped: 'I'm screaming that's so sick.' But Gregory isn't all sass, and he also got serious as he reflected on the deeper philosophy behind Wicked while sharing the impact he hoped his book and the musical would have on audiences. He said: 'The place that you arrive at the end of the musical is the identical place that I wanted people to arrive in the end of my novel, which was a lump in the throat and a reminder that what literature — whether it be theater, whether it be novels — brings us to is a reminder of how little time we have to do good with our lives.' 'We must cherish the ones we love,' he went on. 'We must say it out loud; we must protect one another; and we must do our work while we have the spirit.' Hear-hear — let me know what you make of Gregory's comments below! More on this Here's The Poignant Story Behind That Resurfaced Video Of Idina Menzel Playing 'Wicked's' Elphaba On Broadway In Red Sweats And Without Her Green SkinStephanie Soteriou · Nov. 28, 2024 Jon M. Chu Just Revealed That He Got 'Many Calls' From Lin-Manuel Miranda Asking For A Cameo In 'Wicked'Stephanie Soteriou · Jan. 23, 2025 People Are Heartbroken Over This Clip Of Ariana Grande Looking Dejected After Cynthia Erivo Accidentally Rejected Her Attempt To Hold HandsStephanie Soteriou · Jan. 17, 2025 Here Are 29 'Wicked' Easter Eggs And Details That Have Left Me MindblownLeyla Mohammed · Nov. 26, 2024
Buzz Feed
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
'He Really Did That': People Can't Cope With The Author Of 'Wicked's' Seriously Brutal Reason For Giving Elphaba The Last Name 'Thropp'
It's fair to say that Wicked has been having a bit of a moment in recent months, entirely thanks to the movie adaptation that was released back in November, starring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Prior to the film, the story was perhaps best known for its stage show, which you may be surprised to learn isn't its actual origin. In fact, Wicked's roots actually trace back to a 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire called Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, which was, in turn, inspired by the 1900 L. Frank Baum book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and its famous 1939 film adaptation. Just eight years after Maguire's book was released, his now-iconic story about Glinda and Elphaba made its transition to the stage, debuting in San Francisco in 2003. Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth famously originated the lead roles in the show, and they continued to lead the cast when Wicked transferred to New York City's iconic Broadway later that same year. And while Idina, Cynthia, Kristin, and Ariana undeniably know almost everything there is to know about the beloved characters that they've brought to life on both stage and screen, nobody knows more than the man who first developed these characters way back in the '90s. Luckily for us, Gregory took part in a "Writing Wicked" panel at BroadwayCon on Sunday, where he generously shared some insight into his process when writing the book. Gregory was joined by Winnie Holzman, who wrote the script for the stage adaptation of Wicked and co-wrote the two movies. In footage shared by the Broadway Maven, Gregory was asked how he came to write the Wizard Of Oz spin-off, and he revealed that it was largely due to the annual television airing of the 1939 film being the only movie he and his family watched growing up. He recalled acting the movie out with his siblings the next day, and he 'started inventing with the story' at age 6. Winnie later detailed changing Glinda's last name when she adapted Gregory's book because he had given her 'a long name' in the novel, and she wanted something 'a little shorter' like Elphaba, whose last name is Thropp. She offered the fun fact that she settled on 'Upland' for Glinda in tribute to Gregory, who confirmed that he has lived at 'three different addresses' with 'Upland' in the street name. Returning the favor, Gregory explained why he chose 'Thropp' to be Elphaba's last name. He told the crowd: 'Nobody has ever asked me where Elphaba's last name comes from, her name is Elphaba Thropp.' Universal Pictures / Via 'Like 'Elphaba,' I didn't want it to be a pretty name,' Gregory went on. 'First and last name, I did not want it to be elegant and synonymous and sensuous: Elphaba Thropp, [it's] slapstick.' He deadpanned: ''Thropp' is the sound that a house makes when it falls on your sister.' This is, of course, a reference to Elphaba's sister Nessarose's death in the story, and the brutal reality of Gregory's thought process left Wicked fans absolutely gagged when his quote surfaced on X. Reacting to a viral Wicked Update account tweet about what the author had said, one person wrote: 'i just thropped to my knees.' 'he's so real for that,' another replied. One more popular response reads: 'Dark humoured, camp king.' 'After you read the Wicked books and think, 'Who could write such a WEIRD, deep, political, eccentric thing?' and then look up Gregory Maguire, it all makes sense,' somebody else remarked. Another simply wrote: 'He did that. He really did that.' One more quipped: 'I'm screaming that's so sick.' But Gregory isn't all sass, and he also got serious as he reflected on the deeper philosophy behind Wicked while sharing the impact he hoped his book and the musical would have on audiences. He said: 'The place that you arrive at the end of the musical is the identical place that I wanted people to arrive in the end of my novel, which was a lump in the throat and a reminder that what literature — whether it be theater, whether it be novels — brings us to is a reminder of how little time we have to do good with our lives.' 'We must cherish the ones we love,' he went on. 'We must say it out loud; we must protect one another; and we must do our work while we have the spirit.'
