The latest buzzing entry in the movie-musical canon is undoubtedly Wicked, and the film’s producers (as well as its stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande) are almost certainly gunning for Oscars recognition. Yet, fans of the musical adaptation won’t see any Wicked songs nominated for Best Original Song when the 97th Academy Award nominations are announced in January 2025.
While you could argue each song from Stephen Schwartz’s epic, empowering score is an original song, Wicked‘s producers are actually unable to submit any songs from the film for the Oscars this year. Here’s why.
Why Are Wicked’s Songs Ineligible for the Oscar for Best Original Song?
In recent Oscars history, films like Chicago, Dreamgirls, and Les Miserables have each been relative hits at the awards, and despite having scores and soundtracks written years prior to their release, they all managed to sneak in nominations in one crucial category: Best Original Song. Wicked, however is ineligible.
According to the Academy Awards’ official rules, an original song:
“Consists of words and music, both of which are original and written specifically for the motion picture. There must be a clearly audible, intelligible, substantive rendition (not necessarily visually presented) of both lyric and melody, used in the body of the motion picture or as the first music cue in the end credits.”
This means that none of Wicked’s pre-existing songs can qualify for the Best Original Song award and, without the addition of a new song to the soundtrack, the movie itself is shut out of this category. This is a major reason why several movie musicals have added new songs to their film adaptations in recent years, like “I Move On” in Chicago, “Suddenly” from Les Miserables, and (*shudders*) “Beautiful Ghosts” from 2019’s Cats. Though not all of those songs went on to receive nominations, it’s an obvious way for film producers to try to extend a soundtrack’s impact and accolades.
As such, they probably could have added an original song to Wicked: Part 1, especially considering original musical scribe Stephen Schwartz played a major role in producing and arranging the film’s soundtrack. However, save for some expanded sections in “One Short Day” and an extra key change at the end of “Popular,” they opted to keep Wicked’s soundtrack faithful to the 2003 original.
Will the Score for Wicked Be Eligible for an Oscar?
While all of Wicked’s songs are ineligible for Best Original Song, its score is definitely fair game for the Best Original Score award. Stephen Schwartz crafted the score alongside John Powell, known for his composition work in films like Solo: A Star Wars Story, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train Your Dragon, and Don’t Worry Darling.
Powell and Schwartz were among the composers shortlisted for the Oscar for Best Original Score this week, so they’re currently in pole position to make the final nominations.
What Other Oscars Can Wicked Be Nominated For?
Wicked will be eligible for most of the major Oscar awards this year, including Best Picture and Best Director. Cynthia Erivo will be considered for the Best Actress award, while Ariana Grande will be submitted in the Supporting Actress category. Due to the film being an adaptation of Winnie Holzman and Stephen Schwartz’s original musical — itself an adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel Wicked — the film is ineligible for the Best Original Screenplay Oscar. Instead, it’s up for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Meanwhile, Wicked will be eligible to receive nominations in various creative awards, such as Production Design, Costume Design, Cinematography, Visual Effects, Sound, Editing, and Makeup and Hairstyling. It’s also eligible to be nominated for the Oscars’ newest award, being introduced at the 2025 ceremony: Best Casting.
Perhaps when Wicked’s final part — now titled Wicked: For Good — arrives next year, the film’s producers will have submitted to the FOMO and added an original song to maintain some Oscars momentum. Luckily, fans of the original musical know that even without “Defying Gravity” and “Popular,” Act 2 of the show also has its share of undeniable bangers — so it’s fair to say a new addition isn’t exactly needed.
When Will the 2025 Oscar Nominations Be Announced?
Nominations for the 97th Academy Awards will be announced on January 17th, 2025, with the ceremony taking place on March 2nd, 2025. Conan O’Brien will host this year’s awards. As a preview, the Academy just revealed its shortlists for nominees in several categories, including Best Original Song, Best Original Score, and Best International Feature Film.
Where Can I Watch Wicked?
Wicked is still in the midst of its theatrical run, with sing-along screenings going down in over 1,000 theaters starting Christmas Day. A streaming release date for the film is currently unconfirmed, but it will likely be available first on Universal’s Peacock.
Part 1 of Jon M. Chu’s Wicked adaptation has become one of the most successful films of 2024, grossing $525 million at the global box office on its $145 million budget thus far. As part of our 2024 Annual Report, we named Wicked one of the 25 best films of the year. Also, revisit our original review of Wicked, where we praised the film’s musical sequences, production design, performances, and cross-generational appeal.