In a new featurette for Wicked: For Good, composers Stephen Schwartz and John Powell open up about the music in the film and how the new material was integrated into the story to create an expansive, cinematic version of the stage show.
“It’s a bigger canvas to paint on. And the challenge is to illuminate the story more and get more depth and more breadth with the characters,” Schwartz says in the video. For both films, Schwartz collaborated with composer John Powell, who wrote the instrumental underscoring. “The songs are very resonant, and I was always just trying to make sure that the score matched up to that,” Powell notes.
In addition to the familiar songs from the Broadway musical, Wicked: For Good contains two new songs, along with an expanded opening, and new versions of “Wonderful” and “The Wicked Witch of the East.” “We not only presented the Broadway score, but went beyond it to fully realize our visions through a powerful musical experience,” added Schwartz.
Check out the featurette now, along with another look behind-the-scenes of “No Place Like Home,” one of the two original songs written for the film.
The second half of the Wicked adaptation, Wicked: For Good, is now in theaters. Opening on November 21, the movie brought in $150 million in North America during its opening weekend, plus $76 million internationally, bringing its global total to $226 million. Wicked: For Good marks the biggest opening weekend for a film based on a Broadway musical, beating a record set by the first film last year. As of December 11, the movie has grossed more than $444 million worldwide.
Get tickets to see Wicked: For Good in theaters. Listen to the soundtrack here and check out our exclusive conversation with composer John Powell and arranger Stephen Oremus.
Wicked: For Good picks up after the 2024 blockbuster. Elphaba, now demonized as The Wicked Witch of the West, lives in exile, hidden within the Ozian forest while continuing her fight for the freedom of Oz’s silenced Animals and desperately trying to expose the truth she knows about The Wizard.
Wicked: For Good is directed by Jon M. Chu and stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Ethan Slater as Boq, and Marissa Bode as Nessarose. Other cast members include Tony-nominee Colman Domingo as the voice of the Cowardly Lion and Sharon D. Clarke (Caroline, or Change) as the voice of Elphaba’s childhood nanny, Dulcibear.
