It’s not every day that a sequel to a prequel gets an update of any kind. However, this Thursday brings the news of a changing release date. Wicked 2, which was previously scheduled to release on November 26, 2025, has moved up its release date five days to November 21, meaning it will no longer compete with Zootopia 2, per Variety. Earlier this year in July, the first Wicked, which is scheduled to premiere in theaters on November 22, did the same thing, moving up five days from November 27. This was in an effort to avoid clashing with Moana 2. However, by moving up five days, Wicked will now challenge one of the most anticipated legacy sequels of all time, Ridley Scott‘s Gladiator 2, which stars Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, and returns Connie Nielsen to the role of Lucilla.
Wicked stars Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum. It was written by Dana Fox with L. Frank Baum receiving credit for the characters, and Winnie Holzman earning credit for the musical, and Gregory Maguire also credited as a writer for his work on the novel. The two-part film will tell the story of Elphaba (Erivo) before she becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, as she forms an unlikely friendship with Glinda (Grande) that is torn apart due to Elphaba’s impending descent into darkness. Wicked and Wicked 2 aim to pay homage to the classic Wizard of Oz story while also bringing the franchise to life for a new generation of fans through a story of love, friendship, trust, and betrayal.
Who Is Directing ‘Wicked’ and ‘Wicked 2’?
Jon M. Chu has been tapped to direct both Wicked and Wicked 2. His most famous work came from directing G.I. Joe: Retaliation, the action flick starring Dwayne Johnson and Channing Tatum which was written by Rhet Rheese and Paul Wernick (the Deadpool movies). Chu most recently directed In the Heights, the musical drama starring Anthony Ramos, and he also helmed several episodes of Home Before Dark, the Apple TV+ mystery series starring Jim Sturgess. Chu is also known for directing Michelle Yeoh and Henry Golding in Crazy Rich Asians, the 2019 romantic comedy which is currently streaming on Netflix.
Wicked 2 will now premiere in theaters on November 21. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates and follow closely to be notified when tickets for Wicked go on sale.
via Collider