Everyone remembers the legs. Those striped stockings shrinking and curling under the weight of a farmhouse in the 1939 classic. It’s one of the most iconic deaths in cinema history, and the character doesn't even have a single line of dialogue. Because of that mystery, rumors about a Wicked Witch of the East movie have swirled around the internet for decades. Fans want to know how Nessarose—as she’s named in the Wicked book—actually got those silver (or ruby) slippers. They want to see the rise of the tyrant who enslaved the Munchkins.
But here is the reality: a standalone, big-budget film dedicated solely to the Wicked Witch of the East has never been released by a major studio.
It’s a weird gap in our modern era of prequels and cinematic universes. We have a movie for the Joker, a movie for Cruella, and even a movie for the Grinch’s backstory. Yet, the woman who kickstarted the entire plot of The Wizard of Oz remains a footnoted corpse. Why? Honestly, it’s mostly a tangled mess of copyright issues, the overwhelming success of Wicked, and the fact that she’s often more useful as a MacGuffin than a protagonist.
The Nessarose Problem and the Wicked Factor
If you’ve seen the Broadway musical or the 2024 film adaptation of Wicked, you’ve met the Wicked Witch of the East. Her name is Nessarose Thropp. In Gregory Maguire’s original 1995 novel, she’s Elphaba’s sister, born with a disability and gifted the silver slippers by their father.
When people search for a Wicked Witch of the East movie, they are usually looking for the second half of the Wicked story. Universal Pictures decided to split the film adaptation of the musical into two parts. The first part, released in late 2024, focuses on the school years at Shiz University. It’s the second part, scheduled for 2025, that finally shows Nessarose’s descent into "wickedness" and her eventual demise via house-drop.
It's a tragic arc. She isn't just "evil" for the sake of it in this version. She’s a woman desperate for love and mobility who uses magic to strip the Munchkins of their rights so they can never leave her side. It’s dark stuff. But even then, she’s a supporting player. She isn't the star.
Rights, Reboots, and Red Tape
The copyright situation regarding Oz is a total headache. L. Frank Baum’s original book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, is in the public domain. This means anyone—you, me, a random indie studio—can make a movie about the Wicked Witch of the East. You can call her whatever you want. You can give her silver shoes.
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But you cannot give her ruby slippers.
Those belong to Warner Bros. because they were an invention for the 1939 MGM film. You also can't use the name "Nessarose" unless you have the rights from Gregory Maguire’s estate or Universal. This "legal split" is why we see so many different versions of Oz that feel just slightly off.
- Oz the Great and Powerful (2013): Disney tried their hand at a prequel. Mila Kunis played Theodora, who eventually becomes the Wicked Witch of the West. Rachel Weisz played Evanora, her sister, who is technically the Wicked Witch of the East. She’s the primary antagonist. However, because it's a Disney movie, she doesn't die. She just gets defeated and flies away. It’s a prequel, sure, but it’s not her movie. It’s James Franco’s movie.
- The Woodsman (Indie Projects): There have been several scripts floating around Hollywood for years focusing on the Tin Man’s origin. Since the East Witch is the one who cursed his axe to chop off his limbs (yes, the original book is very violent), she would be the villain here. Most of these projects have stalled in "development hell."
Why We Are Obsessed With a Backstory That Doesn't Exist
There is a specific kind of psychological itch that comes from a character who is mentioned but never seen. In the 1939 film, we only hear about her through Glinda and the Munchkins. "She’s dead! The Wicked Witch is dead!" They sing it with such joy that you have to wonder: how bad was she?
The Munchkins describe a reign of terror. In the books, she was a practitioner of dark arts who kept the entire eastern quadrant of Oz in a state of perpetual serfdom.
Most people don't realize that in Baum’s original writing, she wasn't just a random lady in a hat. She was a powerful sorceress who had lived for generations. She was old. She was decaying. When the house hit her, she didn't just die; she turned to dust almost instantly because she was so ancient. A movie focusing on that—a centuries-long reign of a decaying witch—would be a high-fantasy horror masterpiece. But Hollywood usually plays it safe with family-friendly musical numbers instead.
The Misconception of "The Gale"
A few years ago, a trailer went viral on YouTube. It looked like a dark, gritty Wicked Witch of the East movie called The Gale. It had high production value, scary visuals, and a very intense version of Dorothy.
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It was fake.
Well, it wasn't "fake" in the sense that it didn't exist, but it was a fan-made "concept trailer" created by stitching together clips from other movies. This happens all the time with Oz properties. Because the lore is so deep and the fan base is so nostalgic, people see these trailers and think a secret Netflix project is coming. It isn't. At least, not right now.
Where to Actually See the Witch of the East in Action
If you want the closest thing to a Wicked Witch of the East movie, you have to look at television or specific animated deep-cuts.
- Emerald City (NBC): This short-lived, gorgeous series reimagined the Witch of the East (played by Florence Kasumba) as a fierce elemental force. She doesn't die immediately. She has a brutal confrontation with Dorothy. It’s probably the most "badass" version of the character ever filmed.
- Tin Man (Syfy Mini-series): In this steampunk reimagining, the "witch" roles are shifted, but the influence of the eastern sorceress is everywhere. It’s weird, 2000s-era cable TV, but it hits the spot if you're bored of the standard yellow brick road.
- The Muppets' Wizard of Oz: Miss Piggy plays all the witches. It’s chaotic. It’s probably not what you're looking for if you want a serious origin story, but it’s technically a movie where the East witch gets screen time.
What a Real Origin Movie Would Require
To make a standalone film work, a studio would have to lean into the political landscape of Oz. Think Game of Thrones but with flying monkeys.
The story is already there in the source material. You have the "Unification of Oz" where the four witches divided the land. You have the arrival of the Wizard in his balloon—an event that the East Witch likely saw as an invasion. There is a version of this movie where she is the hero, trying to protect her land from a huckster from Omaha who uses "smoke and mirrors" to seize power.
That’s the nuance modern audiences crave. We don't want "I'm evil because I like green fire." We want "I'm protecting my borders from a foreign colonizer who calls himself a Great and Powerful Oz."
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The Search for the "Lost" Script
There have been rumors of a script titled East circulating in the Black List (a list of the best unproduced scripts in Hollywood) for years. This script reportedly focused on the sibling rivalry between the two sisters before the Wizard arrived. Unfortunately, with the Wicked movies taking up all the oxygen in the room, it's unlikely a competing project will get the green light anytime soon. Universal has the "Witch" market cornered.
How to Follow the Real News
If you're holding out hope for a standalone Wicked Witch of the East movie, you need to keep your eyes on two specific places.
First, watch the box office returns for Wicked: Part Two. If that movie makes a billion dollars, Universal will almost certainly look for "Star Wars style" spin-offs. A "Nessarose: A Wicked Story" film would be the first thing they'd pitch.
Second, keep an eye on Warner Bros. They still hold the rights to the 1939 aesthetic. They recently announced a new Wizard of Oz remake directed by Kenya Barris. While it's expected to be a modern-day reimagining, there's always a chance they'll flesh out the "first death" of the movie more than the original did.
Next Steps for the Oz Obsessed:
- Read the "Munchkinland" chapters in Gregory Maguire’s Wicked. It is the most detailed account of the East Witch’s rise to power and her relationship with the Munchkin people.
- Track the 2025 release of Wicked: Part Two. This is the only upcoming major motion picture that will feature the character in a significant, plot-driving role.
- Check out the 1914 silent film The Patchwork Girl of Oz. It was produced by L. Frank Baum himself. While the East Witch isn't the lead, seeing how the original creator envisioned the magic of the East provides a lot of context that the 1939 film stripped away.