During production of the much-anticipated movie adaptation of the award-winning stage show, Jon made the decision to split the story into two, the first instalment of which hit cinemas last year.
Fans are now eagerly waiting for part two’s release later this year, with the news coming last month that this movie will now be known as Wicked For Good, in a nod to the second act ballad performed in the musical by Elphaba and Glinda.
The news sparked a surprisingly polarised response from Wicked fans, with some praising the poignant title, and others lamenting that this could lead to inconsistency as the title card in the first film already reads “Part 1”.
Responding to this during a recent interview with Variety, Jon said: “Who wants a movie called Wicked: Part Two?”
Pointing out that the scripts for the second movie always had Wicked For Good on them as a placeholder title, Jon added: “It was just a point of like, ‘Do we really want to call this Part Two?’. And nobody wants that.”
Wicked star Ariana Grande also confirmed that Wicked For Good was always the working title for the second film while addressing the unexpected backlash herself in December.
Unlike the first film, Wicked For Good will feature at least two new songs, written by the original musical’s composer Stephen Schwartz.
It was recently revealed that one of these will be a solo for Glinda, with Ariana telling Variety: “It’s a pivotal moment in Glinda’s journey. It shows a side of her we’ve never seen before. In the stage show, this transformation happens offstage.
“But in the movie, we get to see her make the decision that defines who she is. It’s a privilege to sing this song and be the first Glinda to bring it to life.”
Cast member Marissa Bode previously revealed that Wicked For Good will also update one controversial aspect of the stage musical’s second act.