Why Is the ‘Wicked’ Movie Split in 2 Parts? Director Jon M. Chu Explains Reasoning

Wicked has been a fan-favorite Broadway show for years, and it is now coming to the big screen in the movie adaptation. However, fans will have to wait to see the second half when Wicked Part Two hits theaters one year after part one. Why are the Wicked movies split into two parts?

Why Is the ‘Wicked’ Movie Split in 2 Parts?

Most live musicals have intermissions, so fans can think of the two movies as the first and second parts of the show.

Director Jon M. Chu announced his plans to split the movie into two parts in an X post shared in April 2022.

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“Here’s what happened: as we prepared this production over the last year, it became increasingly clear that it would be impossible to wrestle the story of Wicked into a single film without doing some real damage to it,” he wrote at the time. “As we tried to cut songs or trim characters, those decisions began to feel like fatal compromises to the source material that has entertained us all for so many years.”

After he acknowledged the issue, Jon explained that splitting the movie into two parts was the best way to protect the integrity of the story. “So we decided to give ourselves a bigger canvas and make not just one Wicked movie but TWO!!!!” he said. “With more space, we can tell the story of ‘Wicked’ as it was meant to be told while bringing even more depth and surprise to the journeys of these beloved characters.”

Despite feeling confident with the decision, Jon said that the idea to split the movie into two parts originally faced pushback from the production studio.

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“[Universal] was dancing back and forth and I think that was part of the problem of getting it started. They kept going ‘Oh it’s one movie, no it’s two movies.’ I had to come and be like, ‘We need to make a choice with this.’ You cannot make a good one movie or two movies by dancing back and forth,” he said. “Commit to two movies right now, otherwise, we’re never making those two movies good. I promise you that. We can always change our minds, but we cannot think about it right now. That’s what we committed to.”

What Happens in Part 1 of ‘Wicked’?

Wicked follows the complex relationship between Glinda (played by Ariana Grande) and Elphaba (played by Cynthia Erivo), and the first movie is almost entirely based on their younger days. Before Elphaba became the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda took on the role of the Good Witch, the pair met when they were students at Shiz University. While they were initially rivals, Elphaba and Glinda became friends before they eventually turned into reluctant foes.

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While the women create a strong bond despite their differences, part 1 ends with them facing coNFLict over the cruel treatment of talking Animals.

What Happens in Part 2 of ‘Wicked’?

Part two picks up after Elphaba learns the truth about why the Animals are treated so cruelly. Elphaba rebels in order to help the Animals, and Glinda decides it’s better for her to comply with the system.

Their opposite approaches to the controversy creates friction in their relationship, and the apparent downfall of their friendship is depicted in the second half of the story.

When Does ‘Wicked’ Hit Theaters?

Wicked first hit theaters on November 22, 2024, and Wicked Part Two will come out on November 21, 2025.