A number of movie musicals have won Best Picture over the years, and we’ll have to see if Jon M. Chu’s Wicked: For Good joins those ranks. Wicked‘s sequel is killing it at the box office, and both franchise and stage show have a ton of fans. And it looks like the property is expanding, as author Gregor Maguire revealed that he’s got a Glinda prequel novel coming out next year titled Galinda: A Charmed Childhood. As someone who is a hardcore Wicked fan, I’ve got complicated feelings about this choice.
I grew up obsessed with the musical, and have been a Wicked Act II apologist from the jump. While I adored seeing the story on the big screen, I’m not sure that it needs to be further expanded. Deadline reported that Maguire’s novel is coming next year, and now I’m worried that Universal will end up making a book to screen adaptation that will make Wicked into a full-blown movie franchise.
Wicked broke box office records upon its release, and For Good was similarly successful. And with so many movies flopping nowadays, it makes sense that Universal might want to cash in on this enthusiasm however it can. But I’m worried that more movies will end up cheapening the legacy of Jon M. Chu’s pair of musical blockbusters.
The idea of a Galinda prequel is also a bit puzzling. Mostly because when we meet the character in Wicked she’s still very much still stuck in her old ways. Her privilege makes her blind how she could offend others, particularly Elphaba and Boq. What’s great about the story is seeing how she matures and grows thanks the two women’s friendship. So how much story will there be in a book (and possible movie) that’s all about Galinda’s early life?
Obviously there’s no guarantee that Galinda: A Charmed Childhood will be made into a movie, but this isn’t the first time that someone from the Wicked team has hinted at expanding the franchise. Composer Stephen Schwartz has also hinted at a spinoff project, telling The Ankler:
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.
While Universal hasn’t made any announcements about continuing the Wicked franchise, the fact that both the writers of the novel and musical are interesting in expanding the world might hint that there’s more to come. The first movie (which is streaming with an Amazon Prime subscription) was an Oscar-nominated success, and if For Good also gets nods then it might further encourage the studio to move forward with more stories set in Oz.
Wicked: For Good is in theaters now as part of the 2025 movie release list. As for Galinda: A Charmed Childhood, that book is currently expected to arrive September 29th, 2026.