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Wicked: For Good – Jon M. Chu Fought To Keep The Final Shot A Secret

Wicked: For Good director Jon M. Chu revealed that he knew what the final shot would be from the beginning, but also fought to keep it a secret from Universal.

Wicked: For Good is finally in theaters, and the decades-long production hell for this film has finally come to an end. The reactions on part two are not nearly as rapturous as they were for part one, but the fans seem to be having a good time if the A cinema score is anything to go by. The film changes a couple of things from the show, but it was the final shot that director Jon M. Chu, as he revealed in an interview with Variety, not only knew from the beginning what the final shot would be, but also fought to keep absolutely hidden from the marketing, despite Universal not being happy about it.

SPOILERS for the final shot of Wicked: For Good. The film ends with a flashback shot of Elphaba and Glinda from their school days, where you see Glinda lean over and whisper something in Elphaba's ear while they are wearing black and white, respectively. It's a homage to the original play's poster, so Universal obviously wanted to do their own version of it, but Chu had to dissuade them while also keeping the final shot a secret, or he knew it would make it into the marketing.

"Yes. It was always the plan. I was always going to end on the whisper," Chu said. "Do you know how hard it was to force Universal to never use it in any marketing material? They even had a poster of it for the first movie, and I was like, 'Why are we releasing this poster? We should never acknowledge the whisper. Never. Never.' I wanted it to feel like we didn't care about it, then suddenly it's the last shot in 'For Good.' So the studio never saw that final shot. I imposed a huge thing: 'Do not show this shot!' They wanted it so badly. That poster is one of the most brilliant posters ever made. You don't know what Glinda's saying, because they never actually do that in the musical. But it's sort of the key to friendship. That we have these secrets. And the girls got to choose what they are actually saying in the scene. I don't even know what they said."

While the final shot is absolutely iconic, it does let Wicked: For Good end on a higher note than one might expect if you're familiar with the source material [that being the book and even the musical to an extent]. There have been rumblings that Universal wants to do more, but it would require a lot of steps. They would have to write the musical from the ground up, and even fans seem underwhelmed with the two new songs that were added to Wicked: For Good. The long journey of Wicked coming to the big screen is over, and letting that final curtain fall on it is absolutely the right call.

Wicked: For Good – Summary, Cast List, Release Date

And now, whatever way our stories end, I know you have rewritten mine by being my friend …

Last year's global cinematic cultural sensation, which became the most successful Broadway film adaptation of all time, now reaches its epic, electrifying, emotional conclusion in Wicked: For Good.

Directed once again by award-winning director Jon M. Chu and starring the spectacular returning cast, led by Academy Award® nominated superstars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, the final chapter of the untold story of the witches of Oz begins with Elphaba and Glinda estranged and living with the consequences of their choices.

Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), now demonized as The Wicked Witch of the West, lives in exile, hidden within the Ozian forest while continuing her fight for the freedom of Oz's silenced Animals and desperately trying to expose the truth she knows about The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum).

Glinda, meanwhile, has become the glamorous symbol of Goodness for all of Oz, living at the palace in Emerald City and reveling in the perks of fame and popularity. Under the instruction of Madame Morrible (Oscar® winner Michelle Yeoh), Glinda is deployed to serve as an effervescent comfort to Oz, reassuring the masses that all is well under the rule of The Wizard.

As Glinda's stardom expands and she prepares to marry Prince Fiyero (Olivier award winner and Emmy and SAG nominee Jonathan Bailey) in a spectacular Ozian wedding, she is haunted by her separation from Elphaba. She attempts to broker a conciliation between Elphaba and The Wizard, but those efforts will fail, driving Elphaba and Glinda only further apart. The aftershocks will transform Boq (Tony nominee Ethan Slater) and Fiyero forever, and threaten the safety of Elphaba's sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode), when a girl from Kansas comes crashing into all their lives.

As an angry mob rises against the Wicked Witch, Glinda and Elphaba will need to come together one final time. With their singular friendship now the fulcrum of their futures, they will need to truly see each other, with honesty and empathy, if they are to change themselves, and all of Oz, for good.

Wicked: For Good also stars Emmy nominee Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James as Glinda's fawning assistants, Pfannee and ShenShen and BAFTA and Grammy nominee Sharon D. Clarke (Caroline, or Change) as the voice of Elphaba's childhood nanny, Dulcibear.

The film is produced by returning Tony and Emmy-winning powerhouse Marc Platt, p.g.a., and by multiple Tony winner David Stone. The executive producers are Stephen Schwartz, David Nicksay, Jared LeBoff, Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox. The first film, Wicked, released in November 2024, earned 10 Academy Award® nominations, including Best Picture, and won the Oscars® for Costume Design and Production Design. To date, the film has grossed $750 million worldwide.

Wicked: For Good is based on the generation-defining musical stage play with music and lyrics by legendary Grammy and Oscar® winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz and book by Winnie Holzman, from the bestselling novel by Gregory Maguire. The screenplay is by Winnie Holzman and Winnie Holzman & Dana Fox. The film score is by John Powell & Stephen Schwartz, with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Wicked: For Good will be released in theaters on November 21, 2025.

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