Wicked fans have recently been treated to a leaked poster and the description of new footage out of CinemaCon for the Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo-starring sequel film, Wicked: For Good. And while there may be many months between now and that film’s November 21, 2025, release date, it doesn’t mean fans of the Broadway musical-turned-blockbuster cinematic event won’t be eating good in the meantime. We don’t just mean meme-able promotional interviews — we’re already “holding space” for the press tour regardless — and stylish, photoshoot-accompanied profiles, either. NBC is giving us something never-before-done in the history of Wicked: a live musical special to air on NBC this fall.
The splashy special was announced on Monday, May 12, during NBCUniversal’s Upfronts Presentation (a.k.a. when entertainment executives roll out their biggest stars and coming attractions in an attempt to entice advertisers to spend lots of money to put commercials on their network). In a new report from Variety, it was revealed that none other than director Jon M. Chu came out to break the news to advertisers, even going so far as to share the as-yet-unreleased trailer for the forthcoming sequel.
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Everything We Know About ‘Wicked: Part 2’, Explained
Fans of ‘Wicked’ won’t have to wait too long to see part two. Fortunately, ‘Wicked: For Good’ hits theaters in 2025.
Speaking from the stage at Radio City Music Hall in New York, Chu announced the news by saying:
“I am absolutely delighted to let you in on a centerpiece of our campaign for the second film, and it’s something that’s never been done in the 22-year history of ‘Wicked.’ This fall, our stars, the wonderful Cynthia Erivo and incandescent Ariana Grande, will be joined by their cast mates and some wonderful surprise guests in a one-time-only event from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. They will perform live; many of the songs from the first movie — and maybe a little bit from the second one as well — for a night of entertainment that we think will be, as they say in Oz, thrillifying.”
Curious to know more? Keep reading to find out!
The ‘Wicked’ Special Event Musical Will Feature Many “Special Guests” To Be Announced
NBCUniversal
Unfortunately for us, the aforementioned “wonderful surprise guests” were not yet announced. But that won’t keep us from speculating! According to an official press release sent out by NBC after the announcement, “Erivo and Grande will be joined by their co-stars and other surprise guests to perform many songs from the first movie — and maybe, just maybe, a little bit from the upcoming Wicked: For Good as well — for a special that will air exclusively on NBC this November and stream on Peacock the following day.”
Interesting distinction, isn’t it? The “co-stars and other surprise guests,” bit, we mean. It feels safe to assume, then, that those surprise guests could include famous and/or notable fans of the Broadway musical, as well as the original Glinda and Elphaba themselves: Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, no? Because, frankly, we’re here to assume it. Because why wouldn’t they at least try to get those two up on stage to sing with Erivo and Grande? It’s the sort of moment theater kids the world over would eat up with a spoon. Just absolutely lap it all up, licking the plate-level consumption.
Of course, we all know it’s going to ultimately come down to scheduling. Hopefully the Wizard will be able to pull a few tricks — for good for once!
Source:
Release Date
November 26, 2025
Writers
Winnie Holzman, Gregory Maguire, L. Frank Baum, Dana Fox
You can view the original article HERE.
