Plans are already underway for the future of the Wicked franchise, following the smash-hit debut of Wicked: For Good.

Apart from the obvious money-making oppurtunities on offer, Universal Pictures' marketing chief has said that the clear strength of the Wicked fandom meant the studio had "almost a responsibility" to deliver more — even though the story of the Wicked musical had now well and truly been told.

"Because of Wicked's success but also the fanship, we have almost a responsibility to figure out how we can continue in this universe," Universal chief marketing officer Michael Moses told Vulture.

Exactly what kind of franchise continuation might be possible, however, Moses seemed less sure. "Have we figured it out yet? No," he added. "But there are things underway."

Across the two Wicked movies, the 2 hour 30 minute musical's story has already been expanded to almost five hours. But the musical itself is based on just the first of a series of Wicked novels. Later stories largely follow a fresh generation of characters, including Elphaba's son Liir.

"I think the Glinda and Elphaba story feels complete — but there are other aspects that could be explored," Wicked's original composer Stephen Schwartz recently told The Ankler. "Gregory Maguire, the original Wicked novelist, has several books, for example."

Still, having built the success of Wicked around the friendship of Elphaba and Glinda, it would be hard to see any follow-up ignoring those familiar characters completely — something Schwartz apparently agrees with. (And anyway, we still need to find out what Ariana Grande whispered at the end of the movie.)

"There's another idea that Winnie [Holzman, Wicked and Wicked: For Good co-writer] and I are discussing: not a sequel, but an adjunct. Let me put it that way," Schwartz teased.

Could fans get yet another version of Wicked's story, this time perhaps told from the perspective of another character — the Wizard himself, perhaps, or Nessarose? How about another story set in Shiz University, where Glinda and Elphaba are students? Or, could the Wicked team just be considering the obvious — a musical version of the original Wizard of Oz, now incorporating the story elements that Wicked introduced? Maybe we'll finally see Dorothy's face on screen, after the actress playing her in Wicked was deliberately kept out of focus.

One thing's for certain — Universal is keen to replicate the huge box office success of both Wicked and this year's follow-up. After just its opening weekend, Wicked: For Good has brought in $226 million globally, defying the gravity of a string of other Hollywood disappointments in recent weeks. Indeed, the movie has conjured a bigger debut than Superman and The Fantastic Four, and is behind only this year's live-aciton Lilo & Stitch remake, Jurassic World Rebirth, and A Minecraft Movie.

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Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social