'Wicked' Writer Confirms Glinda Is Getting Her ...

By Lydia Patrick

Life & Trends Reporter

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After emotional audiences packed theaters this weekend for the release of Wicked: For Good, fans of the emerald-hued franchise can rejoice — the world of Oz is expanding once again.

Gregory Maguire, who penned the original 1995 book on which both the popular Broadway-musical and big-screen films are based, revealed that his upcoming prequel, Galinda A Charmed Childhood, will focus on the early life of Galinda Upland, the character portrayed by Ariana Grande in the film adaptations. The novel—a 256-page volume—is set for release on 29 September 2026.

According to HarperCollins Publishers, the novel is the sister volume to Elphie and is said to offer the long-anticipated origin story of the pink-clad, effervescent favourite of Wicked readers. Newsweek reached out to HarperCollins publishers for comment via email.

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The protagonist is called Galinda during her early days at Shiz University, where she changes her name to Glinda shortly after a major turning point in her first year.

The book traces Galinda’s life before she floated down in her bubble to greet Dorothy, and before she became Elphaba Thropp’s charismatic roommate at Shiz.

It describes her as the youngest of four children in a high-born family that has fallen on hard times, both indulged and overlooked in equal measure. Her natural elegance positions her for success in district dance competitions, though this focus blinds her to the simmering resentment of local merchants who object to her family’s business practices.

The publisher explains that Galinda, caught in the comforts and uncertainties of childhood, lacks the canniness she will one day need.

Yet as her father navigates the traps set by his rivals, she begins to step—quite literally—toward a future that may lift her above her proud but precarious upbringing. The publisher says the novel ultimately aims to reveal the girl behind the bubbly stereotype, offering a deeper, more nuanced look at one of Oz’s most iconic characters.

Almost 30 years after the original novel’s publication, Maguire told the story of prickly young Elphie — the future Wicked Witch of the West.

The novel Elphie follows the witch from infancy, shaped by her mother Melena’s impulsiveness and her father Frex’s stern piety, and navigating the jealousies that arise with the arrivals of her siblings, Nessarose and Shell.

She witnesses early injustices toward Oz’s Animal populations and muddles through tentative friendships and a patchwork education before eventually reaching Shiz University, where she will meet Galinda.

Throughout, the story presents her as a witch in the making—marked not only by her green skin but by the sharp, sometimes morally ambiguous instincts that help her survive and adapt.

Maguire is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Years series (which includes Wicked, Son of a Witch, A Lion Among Men, and Out of Oz). He lives between New England and France.

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