Jon M. Chu, the director of Wicked, has revealed that the most famous song from the stage musical will not be featured in the film sequel that hits cinemas today.
The adaptation starring Ariane Grande and Cynthia Erivo as Glinda and Elphaba secured widespread admiration and several Oscar nominations when part one landed last November.
Now, Wicked: For Good will tell the final part of the prequel story – with appearances from beloved characters Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tinman, and Cowardly Lion (played by Colman Domingo).
Already a hugely popular Broadway show, the movie adaptation will feature iconic songs, including the titular For Good, No Good Deed, and original songs like No Place Like Home and The Girl in the Bubble.
But one fan-favourite song will be missing. Originally, Chu intended for Wicked: For Good to open with Defying Gravity, the song that concluded the first film and is arguably the most famous Wicked song.
But after a test screening of the much-anticipated film, the 46-year-old director cut the track, deciding ‘we don’t need to go back’ to the first film.
During an interview with Collider, Chu said: ‘What I had done in that first screening was I dropped us back into Defying Gravity. We ended Defying Gravity again, and we then catapulted in, just to get people back in it.
‘What I found out is we don’t need it. We don’t need to go back. I thought people needed to be reminded of the feelings of that relationship [between Elphaba and Glinda] before coming into this relationship, where they’re not together anymore, but after that screening, I was like, “Oh, we just want to jump in. People are on it with us.”
‘Having Defying Gravity, that sense at the beginning of this movie, doesn’t help us. We lived it. We have been processing that. Now let’s move forward.’
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Wicked: For Good will follow Elphaba and Glinda as they weather the fallout from Elphaba’s decision to publicly decry the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum) in the first film.
The sequel also stars Jonathan Bailey as Prince Fiyero, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, and Ethan Slater as Boq.
Chu went on to give more details about the new film, saying: ‘It’s all about the girls, as they say. As we said to each other over and over, ‘It’s about the girls, stupid.’
Metro’s film editor Tori Brazier gives her review on Wicked: For Good
While Wicked: For Good has its work cut out to match the triumph of part one, what is never in question are the performances of its exquisite leading ladies.
Erivo and Grande are, somehow, even better in this second movie, despite having left no room for improvement last time.
They nail their characters’ songs once more, but they also have deeper emotional ground to mine as their friendship is tested further than ever.
I could see rare second-time Oscar nominations for the same roles – although Grande perhaps edges it for me in the way her role, and therefore performance, grows in nuance and poignancy. We peek into Glinda’s childhood to see the reassurance her mother offers that speaks volumes: ‘Everybody loves you and that’s all you’ll ever need’.
Wicked: For Good does well to seamlessly fill in the cracks of the weaker second act of the show, especially when a big screen adaptation leaves far less room for suspension of disbelief – and nowhere to hide.
‘These girls, if you thought they were great in movie one, in movie two, they actually get to shatter the dream. They actually get to rebuild these characters.
‘They actually get to give them a wickedness and a goodness, and then have to forgive each other and be rebirthed into a new form. To me, this is the reason we made Wicked.
‘Of course, there’s bigger action, bigger drama. The stakes are way higher. But at the end of the day, it’s this beautiful story of this friendship, and the things that hold us together as a world, and I think we need that more than ever.’
It remains to be seen if fans will miss Defying Gravity, or if the musical’s other iconic songs will make up for its absence.
Wicked: For Good is in cinemas from today, and already boasts a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from critics.
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In Metro’s four-star review, we wrote: ‘All of this Wicked sequel’s tweaks and flourishes are, truly, for good, as it follows up a triumphant first movie with a beautifully realised conclusion.’
The New York Times said: ‘From its director to its cast, the movie is a testament to diversity (species included) as a common good as well as to love, friendship and solidarity. It’s on the side of kindness, which is itself, well, a balm.’
Empire wrote: ‘Not quite over the rainbow, then, but just enough of its colours and candour to get by.’
HeyUGuys added: ‘It’s a soaring musical triumph filled with standout performances, extraordinary craft, and an emotional core that is sure to delight fans young and old.’
Meanwhile, The Times said: ‘They’ve only gone and done it. The makers of this musical sequel have delivered a film that surpasses last year’s box-office smash in verve, ambition and emotional ache.’
Wicked: For Good is in cinemas now
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