This article was originally published December 26, 2024 and has been updated ahead of Wicked’s Peacock release.
Nowhere is safe from the phenomenon known as Wizomania — not even your home. On March 21, Wicked, which has already been available on digital, will be released onto Peacock like so many flying monkeys. This streaming release follows a record-setting box-office run for the Broadway musical adaptation, and it will be accompanied by hours of bonus material for fans who think the film, which is only “Part One” of a two-movie experience, could have been much longer. These bonus features serve a dual-purpose, as they also allow for stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande to take a brief reprieve from producing bonus content of their own via grueling, surrealist press tour. Now, it looks like the extras for the digital VOD and Peacock releases don’t entirely match up, so we thought it’d be a good idea to let you know what’s available where.
Here are the extras coming to the Peacock release, which will naturally be branded the “Defying Gravity” collection:
- A home version of the singalong cut
- Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked: In this NBC special, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and their castmembers “reveal their journey into Oz with personal footage from set and a world-exclusive scene.”
- Making Wicked: a “behind-the-scenes journey […] inside the characters, choreography, and creativity that make up the movie’s unforgettable world.”
- A Wicked Legacy: “The cast and filmmakers sharing personal memories of their first encounters with the original Broadway production, and how those lasting connections created emotional experiences while making the movie.” This extra also shines a spotlight on the cameos in the “One Short Day” sequence.
- An “On Set with Jon M. Chu” featurette.
- A Seen on the Screen podcast episode, “Defying Gravity with Wicked Director Jon M. Chu”
- Another Seen on the Screen podcast episode, “Opening the Aperture of Wicked with Director of Photography Alice Brooks ASC”
And here are the three hours worth of extras on the digital VOD release include:
- A home version of the singalong cut
- A commentary track with director John M. Chu
- A commentary track with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande
- Making Wicked
- Welcome to Shiz: a deep-dive into the production design and costuming that went into building Shiz University.
- A Wicked Legacy
- The Wonderful Wizard: “Inside the palace’s throne room, the Wizard himself, Jeff Goldblum, pulls back the curtain to peer at his character’s magic and mechanics with senior special effects technician Christopher Clarke, who details how the Wizard’s massive robotic head comes to life.”
The digital and home-streaming releases are also loaded with deleted and extended scenes, which Universal has already titled and described in full. (Note: We’ve marked the ones announced for Peacock with an asterisk.*)
- *Pfannee & ShenShen Meet Glinda: Reunited at Shiz University, Glinda, Pfannee, and ShenShen recall their past by performing a twirling routine together.
- Shiz Gazette Introduces Fiyero: Excitement spreads across Shiz as word gets out that Prince Fiyero is on his way.
- *Toss Toss: Glinda teaches Elphaba the art of Toss Toss, with mixed results.
- Elphaba & Fiyero in the Forest: The relationship between Elphaba and Fiyero takes a turn as they come to care for a lost lion cub.
- *Elphaba’s Promise: Elphaba makes a pledge to Glinda that they both hope will strengthen their friendship.
- *Train Platform Farewell: Glinda, Madame Morrible, and Governor Thropp gather to send Elphaba off to Emerald City.
- *Boq & Elphaba Talk: Elphaba challenges Boq to face the truth about his feelings for Nessa Rose, but she has difficulty doing the same when it comes to Fiyero.
- *Train Ride to Emerald City: Glinda and Elphaba expand their world by taking a luxurious train ride to Emerald City.
- In the Emerald City: The bustling streets of Emerald City take Glinda and Elphaba one step closer to finally meeting the Wizard.
- *Palace Monkeys Chase: Elphaba and Glinda race through a maddening maze of winged monkeys determined to take them down.
Of course, Ariana Grande and Bowen Yang “performing a twirling routine” is by far the most interesting-sounding of these deleted moments, although an extended version of Elphaba and Fiyero’s little forest moment is promising, because maybe they kiss? Egregiously absent from either list is the teased deleted montage in which Jonathan Bailey and Ethan Slater take their shirts off. We missed the boat for the physical-media release, but maybe Peacock will right this wrong before March 21? We can only hope.