:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/wicked-for-good-press-pics634-112025-3e1cfedeccfa4d43b59a5b8d9622ef3c.jpg "Wicked: For Good director tested the film without its songs — here's why")
Filmmaker Jon M. Chu screened a version of his new movie without its beloved music. Wicked: For Good director tested the film without its songs — here's why Filmmaker Jon M. Chu screened a version of his new movie without its beloved music. By Patrick Gomez :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/pgomezheadshot25b24b6c6d8948899ca9b24a6a9a6844.jpg) Patrick Gomez is an Executive Editor at . Formerly at People magazine and The A.V.
Filmmaker Jon M. Chu screened a version of his new movie without its beloved music.
Wicked: For Good director tested the film without its songs — here's why
Filmmaker Jon M. Chu screened a version of his new movie without its beloved music.
By Patrick Gomez
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/pgomezheadshot-25b24b6c6d8948899ca9b24a6a9a6844.jpg)
Patrick Gomez is an Executive Editor at . Formerly at People magazine and The A.V. Club, the Critics Choice and Television Critics Association member has appeared on 'Today,' 'Extra!,' 'Access Hollywood,' 'E! News,' 'CNN,' and 'Nightline,' and can be seen frequently on 'Good Morning America.' Follow the Texas Native at @PatrickGomezLA wherever your media is social for all things 'For All Mankind' 'Top Chef,' and puppy related.
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November 27, 2025 3:00 p.m. ET
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The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) in 'Wicked: For Good'. Credit:
It's hard to imagine *Wicked: For Good* without, well, "For Good." So, why did director Jon M. Chu ask his team to edit a version of the film without its songs?
"We wanted to make sure every song fit and were the right length — especially of the new ones," the filmmaker tells **, referencing the addition of "No Place Like Home" and "Girl in the Bubble" as new ballads composer Stephen Schwartz crafted for Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba and Ariana Grande's Glinda, respectively.
"So yeah, we did versions where we took the songs out — just to double check, to make sure, 'Can this story work without the song?'" Chu said. "And we realized, no, you actually need it for this movie."
Thank goodness.
Does Glinda recognize the Tin Man? 'Wicked: For Good' director reveals his interpretation
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'Wicked: For Good' director reveals secret note Fiyero sent Elphaba that explains surprise ending
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Chu admits he, at times, is "not a lyric person."
"I can't actually keep up with lyrics sometimes, and I need cinema to help me understand," he explains. "The lyrics are so deep and so good that sometimes I just need a little bit of visual help to get us there."
The director points to "No Good Deed" as one of those moments.
He feels that the song — which comes after Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) has been captured and beaten, and Elphaba reckons with how her actions impact those around her — could come across as "a one-note declaration," so he was eager to give the character a true examination of her past.
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"When you go back and see Shiz again, it brings you back to her whole journey," he says of the flashback moments during the scene. "When you see Marissa [Bode] that way again, *Oh my God, Nessarose was so innocent*. And there was this moment where [Fiyero] looked back, and Elphaba looking at him, and then that creates this, *Did I miss my opportunity? How did this all go to s---?*"**
Millions of fans are likely grateful they're not asking the same after watching a *Wicked: For Good* without its songs.
Source: "EW Movies"
Source: Movies
Published: November 27, 2025 at 10:38PM on Source: MARIO MAG
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