Wicked movie announces ‘live musical special’ broadcast

Still no sign of that trailer, but the Wicked: For Good promotion train is already leaving the station.

NBC has announced that Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande will front a new “Event Special” TV special, running on NBC and Peacock (a UK distributor hasn’t been revealed, though will likely also take place in November).

It will come ahead of the musical sequel’s release on 21 November, presented from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Billed as a “live musical TV special”, audiences can likely expect live renditions of Wicked numbers, with Erivo and Grande joined by special guests.

Based on the hit novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, Wicked and Wicked: For Good tells the story of two unlikely university friends in the land of Oz, one destined to become Glinda the Good and the other, the Wicked Witch of the West. Wicked writers Winnie Holzman (book) and Stephen Schwartz (score) collaborated on the screenplay with Dana Fox.

Here’s everything we know about the new film.

The first movie adaptation of Wicked picked up two Academy Awards at the 2025 ceremony in the following categories: Best Costume Design (for Paul Tazewell) and Production Design (for Nathan Crowley).

The Jon M Chu-directed film was nominated for a total of ten awards: Best Costume Design, Best Make-up and Hairstyling, Original Score, Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role for Ariana Grande, Production Design, Film Editing, Achievement in Sound, Visual Effects, Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for Cynthia Erivo and Best Picture.

Celebrated costume designer Tazewell discussed his winning pieces in an exclusive episode of the WhatsOnStage Podcast: