Cynthia Erivo Co-Wrote an Original Song for ‘Wicked Part 2’: ‘I Don’t Know If You’re Ready for It’
Written by djfrosty on December 27, 2024
Cynthia Erivo is changing Wicked for good, from her performance as Elphaba to the original song she helped write for the second movie.
While serving as a guest on the latest episode of Variety‘s Awards Circuit podcast posted Thursday (Dec. 26), the 37-year-old singer-actress revealed that she worked with composer Stephen Schwartz on crafting an original track sung by her character in the upcoming sequel to November’s Wicked Part 1. “I don’t know if you’re ready for it,” she began.
“I mean, I love the song and I remember when we filmed it, the cast and crew were crying,” she continued. “I don’t know if that’s just because they were emotional that day or that’s what the song does.”
“I feel like the song is very, very special,” Erivo added. “I have a feeling that even the title will move you.”
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The Pinocchio star didn’t reveal any further details about the track, which will seemingly appear on the soundtrack for the November 2025-slated Wicked: For Good alongside the film cast’s versions of Schwartz’s original songbook for the Wicked Broadway musical. The soundtrack for the first film recently opened at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 — the highest ever debut for a big-screen adaptation of a stage musical on the chart.
Schwartz, however, previously revealed that he and director Jon M. Chu had worked to add two new songs to the Wicked soundtrack, both of which fans will hear for the first time in Part 2. “The storytelling required it, and therefore they were created,” he told The Messenger in early December. “The intention was that they were organic and not imposed on the movie.”
The Variety podcast arrived on the same day the Wicked cast — which also includes Ariana Grande, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey and Michelle Yeoh — announced that Part 1 will become available to stream at home Dec. 31. The digital release will include extended content and deleted scenes previously not included in the nearly three-hour film, including a hilarious snippet of Glinda giving Elphaba thorough instructions on how to toss her hair and “talk with your eyebrows.”
“It’s time to relive the experience together,” Erivo says in a clip posted to Wicked‘s socials Dec. 26. “Sing your heart out in the comfort of your home. There is nowhere like home to watch Wicked.”
See the announcement below.