Wicked For Good won't show Dorothy's face

Director Jon M. Chu has confirmed that audiences will not see Dorothy Gale's face in Wicked For Good, the closing installment of his two-part screen adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked, which opens in theaters on November 21. Chu said the choice preserves the story's focus on Elphaba and Glinda and keeps Dorothy a supporting figure in the collision between Wicked and the events of The Wizard of Oz.

Chu explained that he did not want to "step on who you think Dorothy is in whatever story that you came into this with," and described her in Part Two as "a pawn in the middle of all of it." The decision echoes the stage musical, where Dorothy traditionally appears only as a silhouette. Cynthia Erivo, who returns as Elphaba, said she agreed with the approach because it allows viewers to retain their own mental image of the character long associated with earlier film portrayals.

Trailers and promotional material have continued to tease Dorothy's presence without revealing her face. Brief footage shows a gingham-clad Kansas girl arriving in Oz with the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion as the Wizard tasks them with retrieving Elphaba's broom. Chu has also said the film includes...