Wicked 3 Leaps Ahead: Stephen Schwartz Signals Major Momentum
Stephen Schwartz says Wicked 3 is moving forward, giving fans fresh hope that the Oz-spun powerhouse born on Broadway in 2003 is ready to soar again.
Oz might be getting busier. Stephen Schwartz just gave a small but intriguing update on what could be next for Wicked on the big screen, and it sounds less like a direct sequel and more like another trip through the same yellow-brick neighborhood.
Quick refresher (because this timeline is a lot)
Wicked started as the 2003 stage musical from Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman, based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel that reimagines L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Baum's book famously became the 1939 Judy Garland movie, which is why your brain immediately hums 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' whenever Oz comes up.
The movies so far
Universal split the stage show into two films. Yes, they really did the two-parter thing:
- Wicked (2024), directed by Jon M. Chu, with Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba Thropp and Ariana Grande as Glinda Upland
- Wicked: For Good (2025), also directed by Chu, adapting the second act of the musical and now playing in U.S. theaters
So... is there a Wicked 3?
Schwartz told The Hollywood Reporter it is a bit early to be mapping out a third movie, but not too early to be talking about possibilities. The project he is noodling on would not be a straight-up Wicked sequel, but something set in Oz.
"It is not a Wicked sequel, but it is a story which, if it goes ahead, occurs within the world of Oz... It’s so early, I’m hesitating to say anything about it, because who knows if it’ll even go forward."
Translation: there is an idea, it lives in Oz, and everyone involved is still in the 'let's see if this has legs' phase.
Universal is eyeing more Oz, too
Universal Pictures chief marketing officer Michael Moses told Vulture that, given Wicked's success and the size of the fanbase, the studio feels a responsibility to figure out how to keep this universe going. That is not a greenlight, but it is the kind of language studios use when they want to keep momentum (and ticket sales) rolling.
Where things stand right now
No new Wicked movie has been officially announced by Universal. Wicked: For Good is in theaters now, and the first film, Wicked (2024), is streaming on Peacock if you want to catch up or rewatch before you see how the second act plays on screen.