Why 'Wicked' Is Being Split Into Two Separate Movies: Part 2 Is Coming in 2025

The first half of the Wicked movie is already in theaters, and Part 2 being released on November 21, 2025.

You may be wondering why they decided to split the film into two parts.

An explanation was given in the past about the decision to make the Broadway musical into two separate films.

Keep reading to find out more…

Stephen Schwartz, the composer behind the fan-favorite musical, explained the reason why the Jon M. Chu film will be made into two parts, despite it obviously being a one-part show that has played on Broadway for over a decade.

“We found it very difficult to get past ‘Defying Gravity’ without a break,” he once told fan newsletter The Schwartz Scene. “That song is written specifically to bring a curtain down, and whatever scene to follow it without a break just seemed hugely anti-climactic.”

“The truth is we tried for some time to make it one movie, even if it had to be one very long movie,” he added. “But we kept running into two problems. The first is that even as a very long single movie, it required us cutting or omitting things that we wanted to include and that we think fans of the show and the story will appreciate.” The second reason, as he explained it, came down to the show-stopper number, and the inability for what comes at the beginning of Act 2 to escape its gravitational pull.

“So, for these two reasons,” Schwartz continued, “plus the excitement of doing something that’s never been done before with a musical, we have decided to do two movies. Of course, when it’s all done, if it doesn’t work that way, we’ll have to figure something out. But we strongly believe that this is what’s best for our story, our show, and our fans.”

Additionally, he added “What we have discussed is that changes need to be ‘additive,’ to use (producer) Marc Platt’s term. They need to add something to the story or the characters. They can’t just be changes to do something different. I feel confident that by the time the movie is made, if we all continue to have the same degree of input, I could have a conversation with anyone who has a question about any of the changes made from the stage show and justify why I think it’s better for the movie.”

Find out what happens in Part 2 of Wicked!