Gregory Maguire Adds Another Book to the Wicked Saga
Gregory Maguire is working on those additional Wicked movies Universal wants. HarperCollins has announced the release of Galinda: A Charmed Childhood, a prequel to Wicked and sister book to Elphie: A Wicked Childhood. So a midquel to a prequel to a prequel. Neat! The book hits stores September 29, 2026.
The vibes are kind of Oz Succession, per the synopsis obtained by Deadline. “The youngest of four children in a high-born family down on their luck, Galinda is both pampered and ignored,” it reads. “Her natural grace promises to elevate her in the district dance competitions—but these efforts distract her from seeing the growing resentments of local merchants who disapprove of her family’s business strategies.” It goes on to say Galinda dances through childhood while her father “deftly pivots around the snares and nets laid for him by his competitors.”
Universal is looking for more Wicked movies, ASAP. The sequel has made almost $400 million globally in 10 days of release, and is still on the Yellow Brick Road to record-breaking box office. “Because of Wicked’s success but also the fanship, we have almost a responsibility to figure out how we can continue in this universe,” Universal’s chief marketing officer Michael Moses told Vulture. Composer-lyricist Stephen Schwartz is down for something else set in Oz, maybe just not a Glinda and Elphaba jawn. “I think the Glinda and Elphaba story feels complete,” he told The Ankler, adding that Maguire’s original book series could provide more musical fodder. “But there’s another idea that Winnie and I are discussing: not a sequel, but an adjunct. Let me put it that way.”
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