Wicked: For Good is the upcoming second part of Jon M. Chu’s on-screen adaptation of the beloved Broadway musical, set to cover the entire second act of the stage production. As fans of the show will know, this is where Wicked truly ties into The Wizard of Oz, and the shared timeline could cause some trouble.

The recent teaser for Wicked: For Good has already previewed the arrival of some iconic Wizard of Oz characters, proving that the movie will, at least in part, stay true to the source material and interweave Elphaba and Glinda’s narrative with that of the 1939 movie. This will hopefully bring a whole new dimension to an already captivating story, but there are some important challenges it needs to overcome.

Wicked 2 Needs To Accurately Recreate Some Wizard Of Oz Scenes

Wicked is often called a “prequel” to The Wizard of Oz, but this ᴀssessment isn’t quite accurate. While the musical’s first half does take place several years before L. Frank Baum’s acclaimed fantasy story, the two projects converge in Wicked’s second half, and many of the characters interact with each other.

The introduction of characters like Dorothy, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion is part of what makes Wicked such a beloved property, but it’s also going to cause some major problems for Chu’s cinematic adaptation – because a movie version of The Wizard of Oz already exists, and it’s often cited as one of the greatest movies of all time.

While the stage production often gets a pᴀss for its creative liberties, since there was never a Wizard of Oz play to compare it to, Wicked: For Good will certainly face comparisons to Victor Fleming’s 1939 movie due to several overlapping scenes. The sequel needs to strike the perfect balance between being source-accurate and adapting these scenes for the modern day.

When it comes to Dorothy arriving in the Emerald City, or the Wizard sending them on a quest for the Wicked Witch’s broomstick, Wicked: For Good will really have to forge its own idenтιтy in order to avoid the endless Wizard of Oz comparisons. Thankfully, the Wicked movies are told from the perspectives of Elphaba and Glinda rather than Dorothy, so it’s easy to explain certain inconsistencies.

The way Wicked gradually leads into The Wizard of Oz is part of the greatness of the original Broadway production, but it’s yet to be seen exactly how Chu will handle this transition on-screen. He could either adopt the same visual language as Fleming’s original, staying as true to the source material as possible, or take some major creative liberties to account for the shift in perspective.

Either way, the sequel will probably face criticism from long-time Wizard of Oz fans who aren’t happy with the way this story bends and molds the original narrative to fit the prequel’s purpose. In this regard, it may be safer if Chu ignores the source material entirely, accepting that it would be impossible to replicate it, and simply tries to serve Elphaba’s narrative instead.

Wicked Is Best Understood As An Alternate Reality To The Wizard Of Oz

Thankfully, there’s a fairly easy way to explain most of the plot holes and logical inconsistencies that arise in Wicked’s second act. The musical was never strictly intended to be a prequel to The Wizard of Oz, but rather a companion project that draws inspiration from the original story and doesn’t necessarily take place in the same universe.

In fact, there are several versions of Wicked that all take place in slightly different universes; the movie universe may not even be the same as the musical universe, which certainly isn’t the same as the book universe. This makes it easier to understand why certain details are different in various Wicked adaptations.

If you understand Wicked this way, there’s much less pressure riding on the upcoming movie to stay true to the source material, because it’s not the same world. This isn’t quite the version of Dorothy that audiences know from Judy Garland’s acclaimed performance, so it doesn’t matter if she acts slightly differently or takes an unfamiliar path through the story.

There will definitely be some major source material changes in Wicked: For Good that differentiate the upcoming sequel from previous Oz movies, so taking this “alternate reality” approach helps nullify the plot holes that arise as a result. Both the novels and the stage production have been clear that this is a “reimagining,” so there’s no reason the movies should be different.

While this is definitely a more opportune way to view the Wicked movies, it does feel slightly awkward. The story is clearly trying to be a Wizard of Oz prequel, even if the “alternate universe” perception is easier to stomach. There’s just enough coherence with The Wizard of Oz to make audiences think it’s the same world, and that could prove confusing if Wicked: For Good’s scenes don’t add up perfectly.