‘Wicked’ Part 2: Cast, Premiere Date, and What to Know

• The “Depraved” film solely covers a part of the unique musical’s plot.
• The primary film of the Broadway present has not been clearly marketed as a two-part franchise.
• Here is what we all know concerning the sequel scheduled for 2025, together with the solid and potential plot.

The cinematic debut of “Depraved” is already so long as the Broadway authentic, however solely covers half of the present’s plot. A second film is coming in November 2025 to finish the story.

The director of ‘Depraved’ and its sequel, Jon M. Chu, introduced in April 2022 that the movie adaptation can be break up into two motion pictures launched in 2024 and 2025.

It stays true at the same time as Common is advertising the film as “Depraved,” as a substitute of “Depraved Half One.” Warner Bros., the studio behind the discharge, additionally used this tactic with field workplace hits “Dune” and “It.”

“Depraved” the musical is the second-highest-grossing Broadway present ever. The musical’s plot follows the origin story of Elphaba, the Depraved Witch of the West, a personality from “The Wizard of Oz.”

The film rendition stars Ariana Grande, Cynthia Eviro and Michelle Yeoh. “Depraved” competed with one other double-hitter “Gladiator 2” for the highest field workplace spot.

Though latest cinema adaptions of stage musicals like “Cats” and Steven Spielberg’s “West Facet Story” have not had box-office success, “Depraved” is primed to affix the billion-dollar membership. Deadline predicted a $80 million plus opening, and better first-day ticket pre-sales than “Inside Out 2,” which introduced in over $1 billion in ticket gross sales in 2024.

Marc Platt, who produced the “Depraved” film and stage manufacturing, stated he meant for the story to be a movie initially however modified his thoughts after chatting with Stephen Schwartz, who composed the music and lyrics for the stage musical.

“I waited a really very long time to make the film,” Platt stated on the film’s London premiere the place Enterprise Insider was in attendance. Now, followers must wait even longer, till November 21, 2025, for the second a part of “Depraved.”

Each components of ‘Depraved’ had been filmed collectively

The solid, director, and crew have all shared causes for splitting “Depraved” into two movies.

Each Chu and Platt have stated in interviews that they did not need to cram or lower songs or characters to suit the story into one film.

Cynthia Erivo, who performs Elphaba, instructed Leisure Weekly in February that the break up allowed more room to develop her character’s friendship and rivalry with Glinda the Good Witch, performed by Grande.

A fan e-newsletter “The Schwartz Scene” reported composer Schwartz stated there needed to be a break after “Defying Gravity,” the ultimate music within the musical’s first act.

“We discovered it very troublesome to get previous ‘Defying Gravity’ with no break,” he stated. “That music is written particularly to carry a curtain down, and no matter scene to observe it with no break simply appeared massively anti-climactic.”

In 2023, Schwartz instructed the now-defunct website, The Messenger, that the second half will embrace new authentic songs written for the movie.

“The storytelling required it, and subsequently they had been created—the intention was that they had been natural and never imposed on the film,” he stated.

Each components of “Depraved” had been filmed concurrently and all the celebrities from the primary movie will return within the sequel. This additionally makes it unlikely the sequel may very well be delayed by manufacturing points and will arrive on schedule subsequent November.

‘Depraved Half Two’ will seemingly cowl the second act of the Broadway musical

Spoilers forward for “Depraved,” the Broadway musical and the movie.

The primary film adapts the primary act of the Broadway musical, explaining how Elphaba grew to become the Depraved Witch.

Although Elphaba grew up being bullied and mistreated for her inexperienced pores and skin and magical powers, she is determined to show she will be good and grow to be like everybody else.

She and her youthful sister Nessarose find yourself at Shiz College, a magical faculty on this planet of Oz, however Elphaba is pressured to share a room with a self-absorbed pupil referred to as Galinda.

The pair bicker and struggle till they grow to be buddies. On the similar time, each girls fall for Prince Fiyero Tiggular, and Elphaba learns that somebody is attempting to cage Ouncess animals and cease them from talking.

Later within the movie, Elphaba is invited to fulfill The Wizard of Oz, its ruler, and brings alongside Galinda, who now goes by Glinda.

They study that the wizard is a con man and that he and Madame Morrible, a magic professor at Shiz, are behind the conspiracy towards the speaking animals.

They need to use Elphaba’s powers to assist their plot as a result of she is Ouncess chosen one, not the Wizard — she will learn a particular e-book of spells referred to as the Grimmerie.

However Elphaba steals the e-book as a substitute and leaves Emerald Metropolis, abandoning Glinda, who nonetheless believes within the Wizard.

The second movie will cowl the second act, set a number of years after the primary. On this act, the story connects again to the plot of “The Wizard of Oz,” which viewers is perhaps extra accustomed to from the 1939 movie.

Glinda and Madame Morrible are a part of the Wizard’s administration, and Fiyero is head of a looking squad for Elphaba.

Nessarose has grow to be a merciless governor of Munchkinland and earned the title of the Depraved Witch of the East.

Elphaba, now often called the Depraved Witch of the West, tries to do good for the animals and folks of Oz, however her magic and actions proceed to hurt her family members.

When her sister is crushed and killed by Dorothy’s home, she vows to grow to be really depraved. This establishes her character because the witch depicted in “The Wizard of Oz” e-book and movie.

There are not any new characters in Act Two, besides Dorothy, who is generally not performed by a personality onstage. There was no casting announcement to recommend Dorothy could have a bigger function within the second movie.