As the Wicked:For Good release draws closer, director Jon M. Chu has shed new light on how Dorothy will — or rather, won’t — appear in the highly-anticipated sequel. While the story will brush up against the familiar events of The Wizard of Oz, fans shouldn’t expect to see the Kansas heroine front and centre.
The second film picks up where Part One ends, with Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) now a fugitive branded the Wicked Witch, and Glinda (Ariana Grande) rising as a carefully controlled public figure. Along the way, viewers will also encounter Dorothy, the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion — but Dorothy’s presence will remain deliberately limited.
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Chu told People that the sequel is “still Elphaba and Glinda’s journey,” and that he chose not to show Dorothy’s face in order to preserve the audience’s own idea of who she is. “I didn’t want to step on who you think Dorothy is in whatever story that you came into this with,” he explained, adding that the character functions more as “a pawn in the middle of all of it.”
Although Dorothy will have a slightly larger footprint than in the stage musical — where she only ever appears as a silhouette — she will still be kept at a distance on screen. The trailer hints at this subtle presence, showing her from behind alongside her classic Oz companions.
Cynthia Erivo recently echoed Chu’s sentiment in an interview with Empire, praising the decision to refrain from revealing Dorothy’s face. “Everyone gets to keep the Dorothy that they know,” she said.
Erivo also hinted at a playful edge in Glinda’s treatment of the newcomer. “There’s a little bit of shadiness,” she joked, noting that Glinda could have made things much easier for Dorothy — but chose not to. “She could have told her to take the Emerald City train!… I leaned into Glinda having an eye-roll whenever she has to deal with her.”
With the witches’ story taking centre stage, Wicked: For Good looks set to offer a fresh perspective on Oz — while allowing Dorothy to remain a legend just out of frame.
