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    The biggest differences between ‘Wicked’ movie and the book and the musical

    Vaseline Posted on

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    Spoiler alert! We discuss important plot details of the new movie musical “Wicked” (in theaters now).

    So much happened before Dorothy came along.

    In the expansive new ‘Wicked’ movie, fans will learn a little more about what exactly happened between Oz’s scandalous witches Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande). Despite its nearly three-hour running time, “Wicked” only covers the first act of the hit Broadway musical, with a second film set to be released in late 2025. For the most part, the film is extremely true to its stage origins, but not without some minor differences.

    After watching the show countless times, we’ve answered all your burning questions about the movie’s biggest changes:

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    Does the movie ‘Wicked’ have new songs?

    When adapting “Wicked” for the big screen, many theater fans assumed that minor numbers like “Something Bad” and “A Sentimental Man” would be left out or turned into dialogue. But the Broadway score is completely intact, and there are no new songs scattered throughout the film or the end credits.

    “The second film features two new songs because the stories required it,” says composer Stephen Schwartz. “I wrote a few things for this movie that we ultimately felt we didn’t need,” although some songs like “Popular” are a little longer, with a new outro that showcases Grande’s stunning vocal range.

    Are there any new scenes from Gregory Maguire’s ‘Wicked’ book?

    As hardcore “Wicked” fans know, Maguire’s 1995 novel is a horse of a different color. When we first meet Elphaba in the book, she is a feral baby who is muzzled after biting off people’s appendages. As an adult, she is an aspiring research scientist and social activist who spends years hidden in a monastery, only beginning to study sorcery toward the end of her life. The book contains alcohol, drugs, rape, prostitution, crime and wild sex parties between humans and animals.

    Understandably, screenwriter Winnie Holzman didn’t include any of that in the family-friendly Broadway musical or its film adaptation. “But every now and then I would go back to the novel and look for things like location or character names,” says Holzman. For example, Glinda’s friends Pfannee (Bowen Yang) and ShenShen (Bronwyn James) are both from Maguire’s book. They did not appear in the musical ‘Wicked’, but were added as comic relief to the film.

    Are there any new characters in the ‘Wicked’ movie?

    Yes, but they are all small. An addition to the film is a new flashback scene between young Elphaba (Karis Musongole) and her sister Nessarose (Cesily Collette Taylor), who are cared for by their nanny, Dulcibear (voiced by Sharon D. Clarke). There is also a new administrator at Shiz University named Miss Coddle (Keala Settle), who clashes with Elphaba when she first arrives. We get glimpses of the school’s many animal professors—and even an all-animal band in the swanky Ozdust Ballroom—though most of them have no dialogue.

    What do we learn about the relationship between Elphaba and Glinda?

    Erivo and Grande have beautiful palpable chemistry, and we would have loved to see more scenes of Elphaba and Glinda just hanging out. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t do much in terms of framing their friendship.

    Still, the film brings an exciting new depth to Elphaba, a social outcast who longs for the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) to “haze” her skin. But after befriending Glinda and learning to love herself, Elphaba ultimately rejects the wizard’s offer to change her appearance, in a poignant scene added for the film.

    Self-love is also crucial for closing song “Defying Gravity”: after the wizard is revealed to be evil, Elphaba chooses to embrace her magical powers and fight his tyrannical regime. She remains true to her younger self, who always stood up to bullies. And in the film’s emotional final moments, Elphaba comes face to face with a reflection of herself as a little girl.

    “That was very important,” says director Jon M. Chu. “She needed a reason: not out of anger, not out of revenge, but for herself. She had to be this person.”

    Is there a ‘Wicked’ end credits scene?

    No. Despite being the theater kid equivalent of a Marvel franchise, the film doesn’t offer any post-credits for “Wicked: Part Two” (in theaters Nov. 21, 2025).

    Marissa Bode, who plays the adult Nessarose, says the second film takes place about four years after the events of the first, “which is plenty of time for people to grow or not grow in a number of ways,” she says.

    “Part Two” features fan-favorite songs “Thank Goodness” and “As Long as You’re Mine.” And according to set photos, the second film will feature the construction of the Yellow Brick Road, as well as a “Matrix”-inspired look for Erivo’s Wicked Witch of the West. Consider us ready to be changed forever.

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