"There are things underway": Universal Pictures CMO shares his take on Wicked sequels

More Wicked sequels? Definitely! That is what fans of Elphaba and Glinda would say. In fact, who wouldn't want further explorations of the world of Oz, especially after the success of the latest sequel, Wicked: For Good.

Michael Moses, the chief marketing officer of its distributor company Universal Pictures, has addressed the future possibilities of the franchise. While speaking to Vulture, Moses mentions:

“Have we figured it out yet? No. But there are things underway.”

Let us find out more what Michael Moses revealed about its future sequels.

Nothing is determined yet for Wicked's future, but Universal Pictures is stirring the pot

In a conversation with Vulture, Michael Moses acknowledges the enormous cultural impact of the two films. So Universal Pictures understands the gravity of the task to maintain its legacy with its future films.

Moses also maintains the fact that nothing has been determined yet, but the wheels are turning, as he speaks:

“Because of ‘Wicked’s’ success but also the fanship, we have almost a responsibility to figure out how we can continue in this universe. Have we figured it out yet? No. But there are things underway.”

Both the films in the franchise are established upon Winnie Holtzman and Stephen Schwartz's musical theater play. The story of this play has strong roots in Gregory Maguire's novel in 1995. Within this fictional universe, Maguire has also written stories, including 'Son of a Witch', 'A Lion Among Men' and 'Out of Oz' to name a few.

'Son of a Witch' is a 2005 novel that explores the story of Elphaba's son Liir. Remember the lion cub whom our kind Emerald Witch had protected in the first film? Well, the 2008 novel 'A Lion Among Men' is written from the perspective of that lion. And 'Out of Oz', published in 2011, narrates the story of Elphaba's granddaughter Rain.

In fact, the novelist has further explored Elphaba's early years in his latest prequel novel 'Elphie: A Wicked Childhood'. Next year, Maguire will also release a novel that narrates Glinda's childhood as well, which is named 'Galinda: A Charmed Childhood'.

Hence, there are plenty of literary works that can serve as an impetus for future films, leading the franchise to reach greater heights. The potential certainly looks rich and, well, quite tempting. Even if these stories do not lead up to becoming films or series, there is always a possibility.

As reported by The Ankler, Stephen Schwartz states that he feels the story of Elphaba and Glinda has reached a conclusive state. But that does not stop the franchise's quest in the magical world. Schwartz reveals that he and Holzman are definitely cooking up in the cauldron, but it is not a sequel per se.

As he explains:

“What I will tell you without giving away too much is that Winnie Holzman and I are doing some work right now on ideas that aren’t a sequel to Wicked, because I think the Glinda and Elphaba story feels complete — but there are other aspects that could be explored. Gregory Maguire, the original Wicked novelist, has several books, for example. But there’s another idea that Winnie and I are discussing: not a sequel, but an adjunct. Let me put it that way.”