Wicked: For Good has only been in theaters for a few days, but the follow-up to 2024’s blockbuster is already breaking records at the box office — and there’s more good news for fans of the franchise, as a new prequel has been announced. Delivering the conclusion to 2024’s Wicked, and adapting the second half of the Broadway musical, Wicked: For Good has already made $150 million at the U.S. box office and $226 worldwide, boasting the second-biggest opening weekend of the year after A Minecraft Movie. The film also smashed a Fandango presale record, garnering the most advanced ticket sales of any PG-rated movie.
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Clearly, Wicked: For Good‘s disappointing Rotten Tomatoes score isn’t a measure of its success, and general audiences are being kinder to the film than critics. Naturally, then, there are discussions of what Wicked‘s franchise future could look like. While there’s no word on its future on-screen, HaperCollins Publishers has announced a new prequel book from Gregory Maguire, the author of the series the musical and movies are based on. Maguire already published a prequel earlier this year, Elphie: A Wicked Childhood, and his newest work — dubbed Galinda: A Charmed Childhood — will serve as a “sister volume.”
Per BroadwayWorld, Galinda: A Charmed Childhood will arrive on September 29, 2026, ensuring the excitement surrounding Wicked continues into next year. Like Elphie, the book will explore the upbringing of one of the franchise’s heroines, this time shifting its focus to Glinda instead of Elphaba (or Galinda, as she was known back then). The book’s synopsis promises to add new layers to Ariana Grande’s character, putting her at odds with her well-off family and their expectations for her.
Gregory Maguire Following Elphie With Galinda Perfectly Complements the Wicked Movies
Elphie: A Wicked Childhood came out at the perfect time, with its March 2025 release bridging the gap between the first and second half of the film adaptation. As 2024’s Wicked concludes with Elphaba “defying gravity,” it made sense for Maguire to dig deeper into Cynthia Erivo’s character. The book explored the origins of Elphaba’s magic, as well as what made her the person she became. And with Wicked: For Good‘s ending leaving Glinda more empowered, Maguire has the chance to do the same for her. Given how sympathetic Grande makes the character, it’s an exciting prospect.
Wicked’s New Prequel Offers Hope for More On-Screen Stories in This World
Wicked fans may have been hoping for another film announcement rather than a prequel book, but the release of Elphie and Glinda offer hope for more films set in this world. From these stories, it’s clear there’s room to expand on Maguire’s characters and setting. It’s hard to envision a path forward for Elphaba and Glinda after the events of Wicked: For Good, but a future film or TV spinoff could revisit both characters in the past.
The Wicked prequels also highlight the ability to expand on this story more broadly, as there are other characters and throughlines that could be explored on-screen. It seems unlikely we’ll see Grande’s or Erivo’s versions of their characters after Wicked: For Good — their arcs both end in satisfying places — but for those hungry for more of this world, the franchise remains full of potential.
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