Wicked: Part 2 gets a ‘Good’ new title as second half draws near
Universal PicturesFans of Jon M. Chu’s critically acclaimed Wicked just got an exciting update about its second half: a brand new title.
While the initial decision to split the adaptation in two parts struck fans as curious, especially in light of the first half’s extensive runtime, it didn’t stop the film from an enthusiastic reception by critics and audiences alike.
The long-simmered film was delayed numerous times due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. After all those delays, it turns out Universal still had surprises in store and changes to make.
In an interesting new development, Universal Pictures pulled a Galinda/Glinda and rechristened the film’s second half with a brand new moniker.
Wicked’s second half gets re-christened ‘For Good’
The folks at Universal just announced that the Wicked conclusion’s is now Wicked: For Good. It had previously been reported simply as Wicked Part 2, and there’s no current news on if the first outing’s name will be retroactively changed.
Given that the films function as two halves of a long whole, it is somewhat odd altogether that the second half’s title was changed (won’t they inevitably recombine into the single film, Wicked?), but here we are.
It would be curious for Universal to leave Part 1’s title as is, as it would give the pair somewhat asymmetrical titles, now listed as Wicked (listed on-screen as Wicked: Part 1) and Wicked: For Good.
Post-release title changes are often risky, but at least it’s visibly in the same ballpark (contra, say, Edge of Tomorrow’s messy pivot to Live Die Repeat, which are both deviations from the source manga’s title, All You Need Is Kill). Stay tuned for any further updates here.
While you wait to see the finale, dig into the ending of the film’s first part and dig into this spoiler for Part 2 (er, For Good).