1) thought the LOST attraction was for Discovery Island
2) Wicked is also a book
1) I've heard talk of both, but it's also been a looooong time so who knows haha.
2) I'm willing to bet good money that 98% of Wicked fans are only fans of the musical and movie musical. Wicked the book fits the same niche in my head as the Jurassic Park book. At this point in time, it's only something that hyperfans dig into as another way to appreciate the franchise further. But it does not itself meaningfully contribute in onboarding new fans of the franchise. I do not believe Wicked book fans are a significant amount of any population.
The best way to go about a Wicked land imo is to make it a generalized Oz or Emerald City. Lean into the classic broadway elements and the Wizard of Oz elements. I just feel like this new series of movies' won't age nearly as gracefully long-term, between it's celebrity cast and very 2010's CGI-heavy grimdark-lite aesthetic. Wizard of Oz is the most proven evergreen franchise out there. It's close to 100 years old and it still holds an incredibly significant spot in the zeitgiest. They built a yellow-brick road in USF last year for a reason, and it wasn't because it played a massive part in these new films.
The unfortunate thing is that I doubt Universal would be chomping at the bit for another land with profit-split between them and WB. It would probably be a simulator ride with Cynthia and Ariana, and it would be exclusively stuff from the Wicked movies. And what could be a timeless, permanent land based on one of the most evergreen franchises ever made would be preserved forever in Hunger Games-aesthetic amber.
If it was just Wicked: The Ride within USF or something, I think that could fill a similar niche to Fallon or Nicktoons. Something that obviously won't last forever, but serves its' individual plot of land well for about two decades or so. When we start talking about Epic Portals, these are seemingly permanent expansions that have to carry that weight for far longer than two decades. The Wicked (2024) dining location needs to be
popular relevant enough to sustain business in 2052. My grandchildren need to still be posing in the mirror of the Wicked (2024) bathrooms.
Is that completely unthinkable? No. It's a possibility. We saw a Tron coaster this decade. The Muppets are getting an E-Ticket next year. Back to the Future, Jaws, and Ghostbusters are some of the most common UDX fan requests of 2025. The Infinity Saga, which has an incredibly 2010s/CGI heavy artstyle, has a land with an E-ticket being built almost a decade after the last big event film. Harry Potter is very similar to that, and we have 3 lands now as of 4 months ago. Wicked '24 could have legs, but I'm cautious about jumping in too fast and while the hype is at it's biggest.
It's the issue with designing your park with Diagon Alley as the base. You have to be
really committed to a concept, because if the hype dies, you're not just stuck with a standalone ride to replace. Every one of these lands are built to such an insane scale that a true misfire means catastrophe, especially for an expansion with the purpose of revitalizing attendance.