Why Wicked: For Good Director Jon M. Chu Refused To Show Anyone The Final Moments

Why Wicked: For Good Director Jon M. Chu Refused To Show Anyone The Final Moments Glinda (Ariana Grande) resting her head on Elphaba’s (Cynthia Erivo) shoulder in Wicked: For Good By  Abigail Stevens Published 42 minutes ago Abigail is an editor for ScreenRant, currently writing and editing movie news. You may also have seen her thoughts on animated television, musical theater, and fantasy literature in Paste Magazine, Fantasy Hive, or The Oxford Blue. She has also written SR lists and op-eds covering movies, TV, and books as well. She is an English major through and through, having graduated with a B.A. from UC Santa Barbara and an MPhil from Oxford University. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Warning: This article contains spoilers for 2025's Wicked: For Good, now in theaters.Wicked and Wicked: For Good director Jon M. Chu comments on the final shot of the two-part Broadway adaptation, revealing that he steadfastly hid it from the executives at Universal Pictures. The director of Crazy Rich Asians, In the Heights, and Now You See Me 2 reached new heights with the cinematic interpretation of the beloved show and always planned on the final shot.

Wicked follows Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande), depicting their friendship at school and their attempts to do good as the two most famous witches of Oz. They are ultimately separated in Wicked: For Good's ending, with Elphaba being forced to fake her death and flee the country, while Glinda quietly deposes The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum).

Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) holding hands in Wicked: For Good

However, as Elphaba and Glinda again reflect on their relationship with a reprise of "For Good" in the movie's final moments, it cuts away to a previously established flashback from their school days. The final shot is Glinda whispering something into Elphaba's ear, a recreation of the famous Broadway poster that has advertised the story for more than two decades.

"It was always the plan. I was always going to end on the whisper," Chu tells Business Insider. "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 [...]."

"So the studio never saw that final shot," continues Chu. "I imposed a huge thing: 'Do not show this shot!' They wanted it so badly." Even the wistful flashback scene of Elphaba and Glinda together in the field was a tempting image to include in the marketing; the shot of Glinda tilting her head onto Elphaba's shoulder came up often in trailers, suggesting they would have used the whisper shot.

The image particularly stands out since the scene of Elphaba and Glinda having a day out with Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey), Nessarose (Marissa Bode), and Boq (Ethan Slater) never appears in full in either movie; it only features in fragmented flashes, preserving its ephemeral nature. Chu also said to Business Insider about "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.

The Wicked movies also star Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Peter Dinklage as Dr. Dillamond, and Colman Domingo as the Cowardly Lion. Wicked was a massive box office success in 2024, but Wicked: For Good is now breaking its records, grossing more than $220 million worldwide in its opening weekend, despite garnering weaker reviews than its predecessor.

Wicked was also a huge contender at the Oscars in 2025, and it remains to be seen if Wicked: For Good will follow in its footsteps. Despite its flaws, Wicked's cinematic venture overall is a stunning adaptation of the Broadway musical that understands what made it special, and plays into Easter eggs like the "whisper shot" to heighten the story of the leads' friendship.

10 9.4/10 8/10

Wicked: For Good

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed PG Drama Fantasy Romance Release Date November 21, 2025 Runtime 137 Minutes Director Jon M. Chu Writers Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox, Gregory Maguire Producers Marc Platt, David Stone 11 Images Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) with a thoughtful frown in Wicked: For GoodGlinda (Ariana Grande) smiling in Wicked: For GoodGlinda (Ariana Grande) putting on her crown in Wicked: For GoodFiyero (Jonathan Bailey) playing in a marching band in Wicked: For GoodGlinda (Ariana Grande) walking down the aisle surrounded by yellow butterflies in Wicked: For GoodFiyero (Jonathan Bailey) and Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) staring into each other’s eyes up close in Wicked: For GoodElphaba (Cynthia Erivo) flying on her broom in Wicked: For GoodWicked For Good Teaser ThumbnailGlinda (Ariana Grande) clutching a book to her chest in Wicked: For GoodGlinda (Ariana Grande) floating inside a shimmering bubble in Wicked: For GoodGlinda (Ariana Grande) looking thoughtful in Wicked: For GoodClose

Cast

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• Cynthia Erivo Elphaba
• Ariana Grande Glinda

Prequel(s) Wicked Genres Drama, Fantasy, Romance Powered by Expand Collapse

• Movies
• Wicked: For Good

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