Fans of Wicked can now experience the new film in a whole new way. As part of Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series, the news site has released the entirety of the screenplay for free to read online.
Written by original Wicked writer Winnie Holzman along with Dana Foz, the screenplay adapts Act 1 of the stage musical, also incorporating some elements of the novel by Gregory Maguire. Readers of the screenplay will be able to discover some content that didn’t make it into the final cut, such as the deleted montage sequence, featuring a shirtless Fiyero.
Other changes between the script and the final film include cut bits of dialogue, extended scenes, and a different version of the Wiz-o-Mania sequence. Read the full screenplay here.
The first part of the hit adaptation has been taking the box office by storm, recently surpassing a worldwide gross of $500 million. As of this past weekend, the movie musical has brought in $359 million domestically and more than $524 million worldwide.
Wicked, the untold story of the witches of Oz, stars Erivo as Elphaba who is misunderstood because of her unusual green skin and has yet to discover her true power. Grande plays Glinda, a popular young woman, gilded by privilege and ambition, who has yet to discover her true heart.
The two meet as students at Shiz University in the fantastical Land of Oz and forge an unlikely but profound friendship. After encountering The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads, and their lives take very different paths.
The Wicked film adaptation stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Ethan Slater as Boq, and Marissa Bode as Nessarose. The first part was released on November 22, 2024, with Wicked: For Good arriving in theaters on November 21, 2025.
