Meta description : Ariana Grande takes on Wicked’s emotional duet “For Good” with Cynthia Erivo. Dates, vocals, what lands in Part Two, and how the film updates the Broadway favorite.
The question landing in search bars all spring and summer is simple : when do audiences hear Ariana Grande sing “For Good” in Wicked? Universal Pictures split the stage phenomenon into two films, with Part One dated for 22 November 2024 and Part Two set for 26 November 2025, and the show’s most tender goodbye sits in Act Two. That points squarely to 2025 for the full duet with Cynthia Erivo.
Context moved fast. A first teaser bowed during Super Bowl LVIII on 11 February 2024, then a full trailer rolled out later in the year as director Jon M. Chu positioned the adaptation with a two-part structure first announced in April 2022. Ariana Grande plays Glinda, Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba, with Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum rounding out key roles. The aim : scale up the story et keep its emotional core intact, “For Good” included.
Ariana Grande in Wicked : “For Good” and the release roadmap
Here is the practical read. Wicked opened on Broadway on 30 October 2003, and “For Good” arrives late in the show as Glinda et Elphaba face a necessary parting. On film, the creative team split the narrative across two movies to breathe into the Oz world, per Universal’s 2022 plan. Given that timeline, the duet logically lands in Part Two on 26 November 2025.
Universal moved Part One up to 22 November 2024 after an initial Thanksgiving frame, an adjustment reported in March 2024 by trades following a strike-impacted production year. Filming paused in July 2023 amid the SAG-AFTRA work stoppage, then resumed after the deal, with Part One completing in time for the new date.
Composer Stephen Schwartz has said the films include new material written for the screen, which means familiar moments may carry fresh contours while keystone songs remain. Fans get the spectacle sooner, the full emotional pay-off of Act Two later. It is a deliberate build, not a delay tactic.
Vocal stakes : Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and a legacy song
The duet asks for clear, ringing top lines and conversation-level intimacy. Ariana Grande enters with 2024 momentum : the album “Eternal Sunshine” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 227,000 equivalent album units in the week ending 14 March 2024, according to Billboard. The single “We Can’t Be Friends” opened at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated 23 March 2024, her second Hot 100 leader of the year.
Cynthia Erivo brings heavyweight theater credentials. She won the Tony Award in 2016 for “The Color Purple” and earned two Academy Award nominations in 2020 for “Harriet” – Best Actress and Best Original Song. That pairing sets a high ceiling for the film’s most delicate goodbye. The blend is the story.
Zoom out et the song already carries serious history. Wicked became one of Broadway’s top grossers, crossing 1 billion dollars in Broadway receipts by 2016 per The Broadway League. The show’s cast album turned “For Good” into a rite-of-passage duet for countless singers, a familar farewell performed at graduations and finales for two decades.
What changes on screen : two parts, new songs, and how to listen now
Jon M. Chu’s two-part design shapes expectation. Part One introduces Shiz, friendship, the Emerald City, and the rift. Part Two traditionally holds the consequences and reconciliation. On stage, “For Good” lives in that later stretch, so audiences should anticipate the cinematic version in 2025 while Part One builds the relationship that makes the farewell hit.
The film adds new numbers and scene work tailored for cinema, a point Stephen Schwartz flagged back in 2022. That does not sideline the standards. It reframes how the story lands beat by beat, including where and how the final duet sits for maximum impact across two releases.
Until then, there is a clean way to hear the bones of the moment. The original Broadway cast recording from 2003 streams on all major platforms. Ariana Grande also performed “The Wizard and I” during NBC’s Wicked 15th anniversary special on 29 October 2018, a useful preview of her approach to Schwartz’s writing. Teasers and trailers are already in circulation after Super Bowl LVIII on 11 February 2024, with Universal’s calendar locked at 22 November 2024 for Part One and 26 November 2025 for Part Two. The path to “For Good” is mapped, and the dates are the roadmap.