Adapting the critically-acclaimed Broadway musicalWickedinto two movies has proven to be an amazing idea. Initially, there was concern that the story ofWickeddidn’t need to be split into two parts. After all, theWickedmusical is two hours and 45 minutes long, including the 15-minute intermission. Meanwhile, just the firstWickedmovie has a runtime of two hours and 40 minutes. However, the concerns were proven to be unnecessary whenthe firstWickedmovie endedat the perfect moment, right when Elphaba takes flight after singing “Defying Gravity.”
The story ofWickedfollows Elphaba and Glinda, who eventually become known as the Wicked Witch of the West and the Good Witch of the North, respectively, as they form an unlikely friendship at Shiz University. Thecast ofWickedincludes Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande-Butera, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum. Upon its release,reviews forWickedhave been amazing, andit is now undoubtedly clear that the story of Elphaba and Glinda needed to be adapted across two movies.
Wicked Shows Why Splitting The Musical Into Two Movies Was The Right Decision
Splitting The Wicked Musical Into Two Movies Allowed For More Character Development And World Building
By adapting the story of the iconic musical across two movies, the firstWickedmovie was able to flesh out the world and characters before therelease ofWicked: For Good. One can easily split the firstWickedmovie into two parts, as well. The first part introduces characters like Elphaba, Glinda, Fiyero, Boq, and Nessarose and chronicles their time together at Shiz University, whereas the second part sees Elphaba and Glinda travel to Emerald City to meet the Wizard of Oz.
If theWickedmusical was adapted into just one movie, then it only would have been able to include the essential elements of the story.
If the whole story of theWickedmusical was only adapted in one movie, it would have been extremely rushed and there wouldn’t have been enough time to properly develop many of the supporting characters. A character like Boq, for example, gets much more attention in the movie than he does in the musical. Furthermore,the firstWickedmovie was able to properly showcase Elphaba’s backstory and the current state of the land of Oz without instantly needing to rush to the next plot point.
The Story Of The Wicked Musical Being Adapted Into Just One Movie Would Have Been Too Rushed
If theWickedmusical was adapted into just one movie, then it only would have been able to include the essential elements of the story. Characters like Elphaba, Glinda, and Fiyero would have still gotten sufficient screen time, but the aforementioned Boq and Nessarose probably would have only had a few minor moments.IfWickedwas only one movie, a lot less time would have been spent at Shiz University, which ultimately would have resulted in the world of Oz feeling a lot less fleshed out.
Waiting An Entire Year For Wicked 2 Is Going To Be Excruciating Now
The movie adaptation of Wicked, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, exceeded expectations, making the wait for Wicked: Part 2 feel impossible.
It’s also possible that some of thesongs inWickedwould have been cut out if it was only one movie. This would have been tragic since theWickedmusical includes so many iconic songs. While “Defying Gravity” and “Popular” are two of the more well-known songs from theWickedmusical, fans want to see as many songs as possible in the movie adaptations. Therefore,it would have infuriated some fans if their favorite song was cut from theWickedmovie. Ultimately, it was undeniably the right decision to splitWickedinto two movies.
Wicked
Cast
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
