Are Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Out of the Wicked Spinoff? Stephen Schwartz Sets the Record Straight

So here is where Wicked stands: the main witches are probably done, but Oz? Not closed for business. The franchise brain trust is poking at new ideas that live next door to Glinda and Elphaba without dragging them back onstage just to do an encore.

What Stephen Schwartz actually said

At the New York premiere of Wicked: For Good, composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz said he and book writer Winnie Holzman are actively noodling on a new Wicked thing. Not a sequel, not Part 3, and definitely not a retread of the Glinda/Elphaba arc. As he put it via The Ankler:

Winnie and I are discussing: not a sequel, but an adjunct.

Translation: think side-door into Oz. The idea, which outlets like DiscussingFilm also flagged on Nov. 21, 2025, is to expand the world in a different direction rather than continue the exact story we just watched.

Why a straight-up Part 3 is not happening (for now)

Schwartz was blunt about it: he has not seen a pitch that feels worth doing just to keep the cash register ringing. If someone shows up with a continuation that has a real reason to exist beyond money, sure, he is open. But from his perspective, Glinda and Elphaba have a completed rise-and-fall-and-everything-in-between on film. That arc is wrapped.

He is not saying Oz is tapped out. Far from it. Between L. Frank Baum's sprawling universe and Gregory Maguire's Wicked novels (which spin off in a bunch of directions), there are plenty of corners worth exploring. The focus now sounds like something that runs parallel to the events we know rather than after them.

Enter Ariana Grande, stirring the cauldron

Ariana Grande, Glinda in the two-part movie, added a little chaos (intentionally or not). On Instagram, she joked about the whole goodbye-but-not-really energy around this franchise: "We can count on there always being another farewell tour. So I don't think anyone's going anywhere."

Cue the rumor mill. When someone asked if that was basically her confirming another sequel, she shut it down: "No, no, I don't know. People will finally get to know the full truth of these women." So no, that was not a stealth announcement. But also not a hard never. Classic tease, classic Oz.

What this actually means

If you are hoping for Wicked 3 with Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo front and center again, do not hold your breath. If you are into the idea of an Oz story that hops to another character, timeline, or corner of the map, that is the lane Schwartz and Holzman are actively exploring.

• Title: Wicked: For Good
• Director: Jon M. Chu
• Release date: 21 November 2025
• Studios: Universal Pictures; Marc Platt Productions
• IMDb: 7.3
• Rotten Tomatoes: 70%

Bottom line: the yellow brick road keeps going, just not necessarily where you expect. In the meantime, Wicked: For Good is in theaters, so go see the full picture before we all start fantasy-casting the next trip back to Oz.