Wicked: For Good won’t show Dorothy’s face because “she is a pawn” in the Elphaba and Glinda’s story, director Jon M. Chu has explained.
Wicked: For Good won’t show Dorothy’s face because “she is a pawn” in the story, director Jon M. Chu has said.
The upcoming musical blockbuster is set to introduce the girl from Kansas as she walks the yellow brick road to meet the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum), but Chu has explained Dorothy will remain faceless in Wicked: For Good as the movie’s primary focus is on the relationship between Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande).
Speaking with People, the 45-year-old director said: “I didn’t want to step on who you think Dorothy is in whatever story that you came into this with.
“[Wicked: For Good] is still Elphaba and Glinda’s journey, and she is a pawn in the middle of all of it.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Chu teased Michelle Yeoh’s Madame Morrible would be involved in bringing to life “an iconic moment we all know from our youth”.
The Crazy Rich Asians filmmaker added: “We have this amazing moment of the tornado and how it gets conjured, which is not in the show, really.”
Wicked: For Good – which is based on the second half of the Broadway musical Wicked – will pick up after the events of the first movie, and follow Elphaba and Glinda as they are pushed to their limits when Glinda is forced to choose between their friendship and the Wizard of Oz.
The movie will also star Jonathan Bailey as Prince Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq and Colman Domingo as the Cowardly Lion.
Chu previously said he saw his two Wicked films as “one big story”.
During an appearance on Variety’s Awards Circuit Podcast, he said: “It is one movie to me.
“When I was thinking of every arc, we were thinking of it as one giant chunk.”
The In the Heights director promised Wicked: For Good will be more than just a continuation of the first film’s story, describing it as an emotional culmination of everything built throughout Wicked.
He said: “Once you see Movie Two, you cannot forget it. It will always be tied to your movie one experience.”
Chu revealed Wicked: For Good will have a more mature tone and a deeper story that will move audiences.
He said: “It’s the moment where everything we’ve set up – the friendship, the heartbreak, the magic – comes crashing together.
“When you get to that last song, when they sing For Good, it’s going to hit like a freight train. I’ve lived with this story for five years, and I still cry every time.”
Looking ahead to Wicked: For Good’s release on November 21, 2025, Chu admitted he wasn’t ready to part ways with the Wizard of Oz universe.
He said: “When you live with something for five-plus years, and you dream about it and you wake up with nightmares right in front of you, it sticks with you. I have not processed it yet.
“Everyone was very emotional, and I couldn’t feel it yet. I was like, ‘No, I’ll see you next week.’ But I think the office is empty now, which is really sad.”
He concluded: “It’s one big story to me, and now, finally, I get to let it go.”
Wicked: For Good director Jon M. Chu explains why Dorothy’s face will stay hidden
