Wicked 3 Would Break the Spell

With Wicked: For Good now playing in US theaters, the obvious question is popping up: are we getting a Wicked 3? Short answer: I really hope not. Here is where the franchise actually stands, and why a third movie sounds like a mess waiting to happen.

Quick refresher on what these movies are adapting

Wicked and Wicked: For Good adapt the hit 2003 stage musical from Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman. That musical loosely riffs on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel, which itself is a remix of L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz books — the same universe that became the 1939 Judy Garland classic. So yes, we are several layers deep in reinterpretations.

So what are Schwartz and Holzman cooking up?

Schwartz told The Ankler that he and Holzman are already noodling on something set in Oz now that For Good is out. The important part: he is not talking about a direct sequel to the story we just watched.

"What I will tell you without giving away too much is that Winnie Holzman (the original Wicked book writer and film's co-screenwriter) and I are doing some work right now on ideas that aren't a sequel to Wicked, because I think the Glinda and Elphaba story feels complete — but there are other aspects that could be explored. Gregory Maguire, the original Wicked novelist, has several books, for example. But there's another idea that Winnie and I are discussing: not a sequel, but an adjunct. Let me put it that way."

Why a straight-up Wicked 3 would be a mistake

• The stage musical is fully covered: Wicked and Wicked: For Good together finish adapting the Broadway show. A third film would have to invent a brand-new storyline the fanbase doesn't know.
• Yes, there are more Maguire books — 2005's Son of a Witch, 2008's A Lion Among Men, and others — so in theory there is source material. But the Wicked musical and these movies have already veered so far from the novels that jumping straight to Son of a Witch would be tonally jarring and confusing, especially for anyone expecting more Glinda-and-Elphaba adventures.
• If Universal Pictures wanted to actually adapt those later novels, they'd basically need to reset and start a faithful adaptation from book one. Otherwise it's a square peg in a round hole.
• Could Schwartz, director Jon M. Chu, and the team dream up an original Wicked 3 that works? Maybe. But it's a huge swing. And honestly, the softest parts of Wicked: For Good are the new additions — especially the two new songs. If a third movie is still a musical, you're asking for a whole slate of brand-new songs. That is not the most confidence-inspiring prospect based on what we just heard.
• Sometimes you end on a high note. Stretching this out risks watering down characters fans genuinely love and a story that already left a big mark on pop culture.

Where this leaves Oz

The encouraging bit is that Schwartz and Holzman aren't slamming the door on Oz — they're just not forcing Glinda and Elphaba back onstage for an encore they don't need. An Oz 'adjunct' could be fun if it finds its own identity. But a numbered Wicked 3? Let this particular story land gracefully and stay that way.