The new Wicked Part Two being released in November 2025.

The Wicked movie has been 20 years in the making and has an interesting history regarding the lore it's based on, from books to the Broadway show and the classic MGM film. The original movie gave viewers a gorgeous cinematic experience, going from the sepia dullness of Kansas to the bright and colorful world of Oz. Nearly 100 years later, we're getting a new treat in movie theaters with the Wicked movie adaptation. But I'll need to go down quite the fictional rabbit hole to explain how the new musical was inspired in its depiction of these famous characters.

Wicked's Connection To The Wizard Of Oz Explained

Wicked Is Based On A Musical Based On A Book Based On A Movie Based On A Book

The Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good first appeared in L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. This book was then turned into the landmark 1939 Wizard of Oz movie starring Judy Garland. Fast-forward to 1995 when Gregory Maguire wrote Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, a fantastical adult novel and revisionist retelling. Then in 2003, a Broadway musical loosely based on Maguire's book premiered, with lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a script by Winnie Holzman. Wicked is still one of the longest-running productions on Broadway (via Playbill).

That brings us back to the present day, where the new Wicked movie is based specifically on the stage musical. Holzman also dusted off her Broadway Playbill to co-write the new movie script with Dana Fox. The path to the Wicked movie getting greenlit is also quite the matrix to follow, but it doesn't make this new musical version any less magical. The biggest difference between Maguire's Oz world and the original story is that the witches are the main characters of Wicked, not Dorothy with her iconic ruby red slippers.

Wicked Being A "Loose" Adaptation Of The Book Makes The Lore More Complicated

The Musical Is Darker Than The Wizard of Oz, But Not As Dark As Maguire's Book

Fans of Maguire's book know it has some strong adult elements in it, including bestiality, homophobia, and rape, much of which was cut from the show. Elphaba's green skin and the negative reactions she receives her entire life, as well as the oppression of the talking Animals of Oz, clearly allude to racism. Interestingly, the Wicked Witch of the West's skin was not green in Baum's original story. But with The Wizard of Oz being one of the first color films, actress Margaret Hamilton wore toxic green paint to make her pop on screen and to emphasize her evil nature.

The Wicked movie is expected to make some changes as well, and be its own unique enterprise. While an exact explicit adaptation of Maguire's novel would require an R rating, this stage version appeals to a much broader audience. Wicked book fans who never saw the musical might be disappointed in the movie's lighter material, but it's a smart marketing ploy to sell more tickets. However, those who are searching for a broad explanation of the story's evolution will be even more confused when the Wicked book and play's plots and tones are so different.

Do Fans Of The Wizard Of Oz Need To Be Familiar With Wicked To Enjoy The Movie?

The Wizard Of Oz Is A More Standard Fairy Tale Than The Adult-Themed Wicked

Fans of the original The Wizard of Oz film do not need to be experts on the Wicked stage musical or Maguire book to enjoy this movie. If anything, it gives them a fresh perspective to watch the movie without knowing how it is going to end. Fans can still look forward to the nostalgia of getting a glimpse of The Wizard of Oz remake on the horizon.

Fans can still look forward to the nostalgia of getting a glimpse of Dorothy in Wicked, not to mention Toto, the yellow brick road, and the gorgeous glittering green Emerald City.

While Dorothy was included subliminally in Maguire's book, she is not featured in the stage musical beyond a shadowy silhouette. The new movie's inclusion of her is an ode to fans of the 1939 classic and to help welcome them to the Wicked world. The winding trajectory of how the new movie came to be should not prevent fans from transporting themselves to Oz for the nearly three-hour movie. With its star-studded cast and John Chu at the helm directing Wicked, I hope this movie is not as confusing as the timeline of previous iterations it is based on.

Source: Playbill