Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz confirms Oz sequel film in the works | The National
Posted: 1/31/26 at 7:33pm
And it's gonna FLOPPPP.
Posted: 1/31/26 at 8:35pm
RETURN TO OZ: THE MUSICAL?
Posted: 1/31/26 at 8:51pm
Flop or not, I'd bet that the reason for the film to exist is to keep the Wicked/Oz visuals in the public consciousness perpetually enough that Universal can make one of its theme park realms Oz.
A series of flop Dark Universe reimaginings of their horror staples turned out to be nothing more than extended commercials for the Dark Universe theme park realm... and from what I hear, that place is EXTRAORDINARY and an instant fan favorite, so it was worth the gamble.
Posted: 1/31/26 at 9:44pm
darquegk said: "Flop or not, I'd bet that the reason for the film to exist is to keep the Wicked/Oz visuals in the public consciousness perpetually enough that Universal can make one of its theme park realms Oz.
A series of flop Dark Universe reimaginings of their horror staples turned out to be nothing more than extended commercials for the Dark Universe theme park realm... and from what I hear, that place is EXTRAORDINARY and an instant fan favorite, so it was worth the gamble."
Dark Universe being great at Epic doesn't make up for the fact that as a whole Epic hasn't hit its attendance goals for the first year. Set aside its based on the overal Universal Monsters properties and not the modern iterations they've tried recently, its just a shared name.
They are already building a Wicked area in their new UK park which feels like a problem. They're pitching for what they hope has longevity instead of things that already have longevity. Theme parks are expensive to create and expensive to re-theme. I feel Universal is putting the carriage before the horse...
Posted: 1/31/26 at 9:54pm
ACL2006 said: "RETURN TO OZ: THE MUSICAL?"
Return to oz was wayyyyyyyy different than the books etc including Ozma and Mombi
Posted: 1/31/26 at 10:50pm
I'm guessing Maguire sold the rights to his other Oz books to someone other than Universal. Because, if you want to do a sequel to Wicked, there already are three actual sequels plus a handful of other works connected to Wicked.
Posted: 2/1/26 at 7:27am
Oy. Just close the damn WICKED chapter and move on. WICKED: Part 1 was indeed magical and still holds up on repeated viewings. It was embraced during awards season, got more than a handful of Academy Award recognition - both lead actresses were nominated and it won 1 Oscar, a fact many seem to have forgotten the way they are reacting with the WICKED: For Good shut out as if WICKED was never once acknowledged by the Academy.
WICKED: For Good was just a necessity to finish out the story. That’s why people went to see it, myself included. I zoned off a few times and just hung on for the film to just finish and be done with it. The 2 new songs really had zero purpose aside from being eligible for Best Song award recognition. It’s obvious the creators assumed WICKED: For Good was going to blow people away and eclipse Part 1. Nope. Weird both parts of WICKED were filmed simultaneously as WICKED: For Good looks, sounds, and feels like it was filmed several years later and trying badly to surpass WICKED: Part 1.
Posted: 2/2/26 at 7:00pm
darquegk said: "Flop or not, I'd bet that the reason for the film to exist is to keep the Wicked/Oz visuals in the public consciousness perpetually enough that Universal can make one of its theme park realms Oz.
A series of flop Dark Universe reimaginings of their horror staples turned out to be nothing more than extended commercials for the Dark Universe theme park realm... and from what I hear, that place is EXTRAORDINARY and an instant fan favorite, so it was worth the gamble."
Well, Disney owns the rights to all the Oz books apart from The Wizard of Oz, so I doubt Universal could use this to keep their vision of Oz in the public consciousness. I doubt Disney will sell Universal the rights to a screen adaptation.
Posted: 2/2/26 at 7:18pm
The first books, the dozen or so by Baum, are now public domain.
Posted: 2/2/26 at 8:03pm
Considering Schwartz's recent work, I... really don't think he has the juice left to compose an exciting new score.
Posted: 2/2/26 at 8:40pm
darquegk said: "The first books, the dozen or so by Baum, are now public domain."
Oh wow, thanks for this. I stand corrected.
