Here’s The Real Reason Why “Wicked” Is Two Movies Instead Of One

If you hit the theaters to see Wicked this weekend, it’s possible you found yourself surprised when seeing the film billed in the opening credits as Wicked: Part One.

Indeed, Wicked: Part Two is actually scheduled to hit theaters on Nov. 21, 2025 — and back in 2022, the musical’s composer Stephen Schwartz explained to the Schwartz Scene why the story was simply too big for one movie.

Stephen explained that, when it came to the film adaptation, Wicked needed the movie equivalent of an intermission following the sequence that accompanies the beloved tune “Defying Gravity.”

“That song is written specifically to bring a curtain down, and whatever scene to follow it without a break just seemed hugely anti-climactic,” he explained.

Stephen also explained that the filmmakers “tried” to condense Wicked into one movie, but they kept running into “two problems” that ultimately necessitated breaking the story up into two flicks.

The first, as previously pointed out, was the issue with “Defying Gravity.” Also, according to Stephen, “even as a very long single movie, it required us cutting or omitting things that we wanted to include and that we think fans of the show and the story will appreciate.”

“So, for these two reasons,” he explained, “plus the excitement of doing something that’s never been done before with a musical, we have decided to do two movies.”

“We strongly believe that this is what’s best for our story, our show, and our fans.”