Wicked spoilers ahead.
Now the trailer has dropped, it feels like part 2 (Wicked: For Good) is really happening. Part 1 was undoubtedly one of the biggest cinematic events of the year, making us even more excited for Wicked part 2 – which is due for release in November 2025.
Of course, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande star as Elphaba and Glinda respectively, but the role of Dorothy remains a question mark, which is intriguing due to her more prominent role in part 2 of the musical and presumably the upcoming film.
The dropping of the trailer has given us a taster of musical tracks No Good Deed and For Good, as well as a few flashes of Dorothy, the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion.
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So when part 2 arrives, we need to know, who will play Wizard of Oz star and protagonist Dorothy? After all, Wicked's entire story was inspired by events in The Wizard of Oz, and Dorothy plays a key part in the “demise” of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the East.
But we're getting ahead of ourvelves. In Wicked part one we got a very brief glimpse of Dorothy and co – the Tin Man, the Lion and the Scarecrow – as the movie introduced us to Munchkinland Oz and the Yellow Brick Road, which we see our favourite Oz characters embarking down.
So who will play Dorothy in Wicked part 2, if anyone?
There has been speculation around two potential actors so far, but no confirmation from Wicked bosses on the casting of Dorothy.
One contender is Matilda actress Alisha Weir, who wore silver metallic flats to the premiere of Wicked part 1, causing fans to point out the similarity between her footwear and Dorothy's iconic slippers.
The other (rather low) possibility that fans have been discussing is Taylor Swift appearing as the Wizard of Oz character. And while that would be completely insane (in a great way), it seems unlikely, and a theory rooted in images of Swift dressed as Dorothy that turned out to be AI-generated and not linked to the movie at all. Sadly.
For the uninitiated, Dorothy's arrival in Oz sadly leads to the death of Elphaba's sister Nessarose, the “Wicked Witch of the East”. In fact, Dorothy's house lands on her, and the young girl even steals the witch's ruby red slippers in the film – no wonder Elphaba wants revenge, really.
When asked by Variety about Dorothy's role in the Wicked musical movie, director Jon Chu had a lot to say about it.
“The Wizard of Oz is potentially a dream. It’s a world where there are no real stakes. Knowing that Elphaba and Glinda live in a world of real stakes, we had to reestablish with the audience that this was real," he said, going on to confirm we will "revisit" Dorothy and her friends in part two.
"So we dropped everyone into the crime scene, maybe the most famous crime scene ever in cinema and literature, of the iconic hat in the puddle. There are all these little clues before we see the full landscape of Oz. It’s this living, breathing place with real cultures, so we immediately establish this is not a dream world. After we go somewhere over the rainbow, we see that those four iconic characters exist in this real world. And we will revisit those characters in movie two."
Chu was hesitant to go into details, though, about exactly how much of a role Dorothy will play in Wicked part 2, and there's no news (yet) on who might play her.
“In the show, Dorothy is around,” he said. "They have to intersect, and you can only tease it so much. I won’t say whether she’s a character, necessarily, in movie two. There’s a part of me that wants everyone’s Dorothy to be the whatever Dorothy they want. And yet, there is interaction and some crossover. So I’ll leave that up to Part Two."
More news on Dorothy's story in Wicked part 2 as it comes…
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