Back to Oz: Schwartz and Holzman Tease New ‘Wicked’ Project

Backstage conversations about the future of the Wicked world are starting up again, and the latest comments come straight from Stephen Schwartz himself.

The songwriter and producer spoke after the New York premiere of the new film Wicked: For Good, and he made it clear that he is open to returning to Oz, but only in a way that feels right. The information comes from Schwartz’s own remarks at the event.

Schwartz said he doesn’t plan on creating a direct follow-up to the Glinda and Elphaba story because he feels their journey is already complete. When talking about whether he saw more room to continue the main plot, he said, “If there were a right idea, but I’m just not sure that that right idea exists.”

He explained that he and Winnie Holzman, who wrote the original Wicked book and co-wrote the film, are still talking about new concepts connected to the same world. As he put it, “What I will tell you without giving away too much is that Winnie Holzman 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.”

He mentioned that author Gregory Maguire has written other books set in the same universe, which could offer different directions. He also hinted at a new idea he and Holzman are looking at, calling it “not a sequel, but an adjunct.”

Schwartz added that he doesn’t want to make a new chapter unless it has a real purpose. “If someone could think of a continuation of the story that seemed to have a justification beyond simply making money, of course,” he said. “As far as right now, no one has yet presented an idea that I’ve heard that would justify such a thing.”

The latest film, Wicked: For Good, continues the story from the 2024 movie and covers the second half of the stage show. Jon M. Chu directed it, with a script written by Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox.

The cast includes returning stars Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum, with Colman Domingo joining them this time. The movie looks back at events that happen before and during The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and focuses on how Glinda and Elphaba become the figures everyone knows.

The film had a long road to release. Universal and producer Marc Platt started working on the idea for a movie years ago, and production faced delays from the pandemic and the 2023 actors’ strike. Filming started in late 2022, paused in mid-2023, and wrapped at the beginning of 2024. Wicked: For Good premiered first in São Paulo, Brazil, before opening in the United States. It has received mixed reviews so far and has earned $36 million worldwide.

Talks about expanding the Wicked world go back to late 2024, when Schwartz and Holzman mentioned they were thinking about creating “something” connected to the films but not another sequel. Universal is also moving the franchise into theme parks, with new attractions being developed by Universal Destinations & Experiences. All of this shows that Wicked is slowly taking shape as a growing entertainment franchise.

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