Ariana Grande has finally revealed the truth behind the title change of the Wicked sequel, due out next year.
The 31-year-old stars alongside Cynthia Erivo in the two-part film adaptation of the hit 2003 Broadway musical, which tells the backstory of the Wicked Witch of the West from L. Frank Baum’s beloved novel, The Wizard of Oz .
Cynthia plays Elphaba, a green girl with magical powers who later becomes the Wicked Witch, while Ariana plays Galinda, her college roommate and best friend who eventually emerges as her rival Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. .
Wicked: Part One bowed at the box office Thanksgiving week and recently surpassed the $500 million mark at the global box office.
This week it was announced that the title of Wicked: Part Two will be Wicked: For Good, named after the musical’s climactic song.
Now Ariana has revealed the story behind the name of the upcoming film, and when she found out about the subtitle, via Variety.
Ariana Grande has finally revealed the wild truth behind the title change of the Wicked sequel, which is due out next year; photographed Tuesday at the first-time Golden Globes nominees luncheon
Universal’s Wicked recently surpassed the $500 million mark at the global box office, and now its sequel has a new title
“We had (For Good) printed on our original scripts, the hard copies that they originally gave us,” Ariana shared in her new interview.
‘We were kicking around different ideas, but the scripts were printed with them from day one. I’m glad it’s official now because we’ve gotten pretty attached to it.
Written by Stephen Schwartz, the song For Good is a duet for Elphaba and Glinda, who have been forced by circumstance to join opposite sides of a war, but are singing one last ode to their friendship.
A fan favorite lyric reads: ‘Who can say if I’ve changed for the better? But because I met you, because I met you, I have changed forever.’
Director Jon M. Chu had always planned a two-part adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical, based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 book that showed the Wizard of Oz characters in a whole new light.
On Monday, the studio announced that the sequel, previously known to the public simply as Wicked: Part 2, will now be called Wicked: For Good, via The Hollywood Reporter.
The studio revealed the title with a short video on Wicked’s Instagram, which already has more than 760K likes in just three hours.
The sequel is still scheduled to be released on November 21, 2025, which currently puts it in comparison to Paramount’s The Running Man remake starring Glen Powell.
Now the studio has revealed that the sequel, previously known simply as Wicked: Part 2, will now be called Wicked: For Good, via The Hollywood Reporter.
The studio revealed the title with a short video on Wicked’s Instagram, which already has more than 760K likes in just three hours.
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo will return as Glinda and Elphaba, following the couple’s iconic friendship.
The film debuted with great success at the box office with $112.5 million in 3,888 theaters.
It has currently grossed $359.1 million at the domestic box office, $166.1 million in foreign markets, and $525.2 million worldwide.
The film has caused a bit of controversy with theater chains like AMC discouraging fans from singing along to the iconic songs from the musical, the fourth longest in Broadway history that has run for 21 years.
However, it was recently announced that Universal will be releasing a sing-along version starting on Christmas Day.
The sing-along screenings, where fans will be encouraged to sing along in cinemas, will run from December 25 to January 2.
The sequel’s cast will also include Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Peter Dinklage, Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum.
Erivo recently opened up about preparations for taking on such an iconic musical, admitting, “It took a lot of training.”
Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo will return as Glinda and Elphaba, following the couple’s iconic friendship.
The film debuted big at the box office with $112.5 million in 3,888 theaters.
It has currently grossed $359.1 million at the domestic box office, $166.1 million in foreign markets, and $525.2 million worldwide.
‘Normally when you sing a big song the floor holds you to the ground, but with a harness and a corset you have to find where your breathing should be. “Many physical and psychological tricks were necessary,” he added.
When asked about her co-star Grande, Erivo said, “We only got together when we knew we were doing it.” The first time we sang we realized that our voices work very well together.’
Cynthia concluded: ‘It’s been three years preparing it, so now I can talk about it. “I’m very, very happy that it came out.”
“I’ve gained a sister,” she said in Elle’s 2024 Women in Hollywood portfolio. ‘At this point we talk almost every day. “We were both blown away by how connected we were right away.”