Wicked: For Good Snubbed in 2026 Oscar Nominations

Jon M. Chu’s film Wicked: For Good has been completely shut out of the 2026 Academy Award nominations, a surprise outcome given the strong awards showing of the first instalment just a year earlier.

The NBCUniversal sequel, which continues the story begun in Wicked, failed to receive a single Oscar nomination when the list was announced on Wednesday. The snub comes despite the original film earning 10 nominations at the 2025 ceremony and cementing itself as one of the most successful Broadway to screen adaptations in recent years.

One of the most unexpected omissions was in the Best Original Song category. Composer Stephen Schwartz wrote two new songs specifically for the sequel, “The Girl in the Bubble,” performed by Ariana Grande, and “No Place Like Home,” performed by Cynthia Erivo. Both tracks were eligible this year, as the first film featured only songs from the stage musical and was therefore ineligible for the category in 2025.

The lack of Oscar recognition contrasts sharply with the film’s earlier awards momentum. Erivo and Grande both received acting nominations at the 2026 Golden Globe Awards, while Schwartz’s two original songs were also recognised at the ceremony, raising expectations that Wicked: For Good would feature prominently in the Academy’s shortlist.

Directed by Jon M. Chu, the sequel continues the reimagined backstory of the witches of Oz, focusing on Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West, and Galinda, later known as Glinda the Good. The two part adaptation was based on the 2003 stage musical, itself adapted from the novel by Gregory Maguire.

Chu previously revealed that both films were shot together over more than 160 days, with production temporarily halted shortly before completion due to industry strikes. The final days of filming were completed in early 2024.

The screenplay for the films was written by Winnie Holzman, who also wrote the book for the original stage production, alongside Dana Fox, with Schwartz adapting the musical for the screen. Broadway stars Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, who originated the roles of Elphaba and Glinda on stage, appeared in cameo roles in the first film.

While Wicked: For Good has performed strongly with audiences and awards bodies outside the Oscars, its absence from the Academy’s nominations list has quickly become one of the most talked about snubs of this year’s race.

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