It’s not an unprecedented idea; the world of Oz is ground that has been tread plenty of times before. Whether it’s Broadway musical-turned-movie The Wiz, countless television miniseries’, or even the misguided “Oz the Great and Powerful,” the concept of returning to Oz is not foreign. However, nothing has pierced the cultural zeitgeist quite the way Wicked has. Now, as the musical evolves into a cinematic epic, I propose taking the next logical step: retelling The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, reframed within the world established by Wicked.

Imagine the new film, released a few years after Wicked: For Good in 2025. This new retelling, firmly grounded in the design language and aesthetic of Wicked, could create a satisfying Ozian extended universe reminiscent of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Directed by Jon Chu and featuring as much of the Wicked creative team as possible, this adaptation would reintroduce audiences to the Emerald City, the Yellow Brick Road, and the characters we know and love—all from the perspective of a girl who just arrived from sepia-toned Kansas.

This shared universe approach offers a fresh angle. When Glinda the Good Witch arrives in her bubble, reprised by Ariana Grande, audiences wouldn’t just see her as Dorothy Gale does—an ethereal benefactor—but as someone grappling with the recent death of her best friend’s sister, a strained relationship with Fiyero, and her estrangement from Elphaba.

The most prevalent cast members to return would be Jonathan Bailey, who would play the Scarecrow, and Ethan Slater as the Tin Man. It would be immense fun to see Fiyero and Boq from this perspective, with the Scarecrow capturing Dororthy’s imagination in the same way he did the students at Shiz University. Imagine Bailey’s interpretation of a modernized version of “If I Only Had A Brain,” blending the Scarecrow’s charm with Fiyero’s charisma.

Meanwhile, Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba—now in her “Wicked Witch of the West” persona—would provide a darker, more menacing figure. And while watching Erivo embrace the “wicked” witch would be fun, it would be even more of a blast seeing her play Almira Gulch, the witch’s Kansas counterpart, who threatened Toto and Dorothy before a tornado transported her to Oz. Many characters could embrace sepia-toned Kansas roles, with Bailey and Slater doing double duty, playing the Scarecrow and Tin Man, respectively, and farmhands, Hunk and Hickory.

The potential for this new version of The Wizard of Oz extends far beyond a single film. With the success of Wicked, Universal could build a series of sequels, diving into Baum’s rich source material and creating a world where the Yellow Brick Road stretches further than ever before. This reimagined Wizard of Oz wouldn’t simply rehash a classic; it would be an expansion—a knowing, winking version of Oz that embraces what we’ve come to understand about what truly happened “before Dorothy dropped in.”