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Universal’s 2024Wickedmovie based on the book by Gregory Maguire, finally hit the theaters almost two decades later, since the musical began its Tony Award-winning run on Broadway. Released on June 11, 2025, Jon M. Chu’s highly-anticipated film featured Ariana Grande as Glinda and Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba.
Meanwhile, although the early reception of the film has been positive, Jon M. Chu’sWicked,like any other adaptation,featured a few changes from the original Broadway show. While the entire score in the new film remained the same with a few variations, the 2024 movie featured the biggest change in terms of Elphaba and Fiyero’s first meeting.
Fiyero and Elphaba’s First Meeting in the Broadway Musical
Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novelWicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the Westhas been one of the most beloved works of literature, given that the story was itself inspired by L. Frank Baum’s 1900 novelThe Wonderful Wizard of Ozand its 1939 film adaptation. Therefore, serving as a prequel to Baum’s work, Maguire’s novel later inspired Winnie Holzman for a Broadway musical.
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Working alongside Stephen Schwartz, regarding music and lyrics for the Broadway show, Winnie Holzman’s loose adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s novel finally debuted at the Gershwin Theater in New York City in 2003. Offering an immersive experience to the audience, the original Broadway production laterwona number of accolades. Bagging three Tony Awards and seven Drama Desk Awards, the original cast album received a Grammy Award.
Meanwhile, although the entire show was captivating, it was particularly the enchanting meeting between Elphaba, the misunderstood and powerful green witch, and Fiyero, the charming and carefree prince, that stole hearts. According to the novel, although Glinda, Elphaba, and Fiyero had a love triangle, people were overly excited about Fiyero and Elphaba’s meet cute that was steeped in fate and flirtation.
As per the original Broadway show (viaPlaybill), the first encounter between Fiyero and Elphaba happens when the Winkie prince’s carriage almost runs over the green witch, while he was being dropped off at Shiz University by his servant. This follows with Fiyero remarking “maybe the driver saw green and thought it meant to go”. Well, the sarcastic remark from the popular prince was just a way of offering him a scope for character development.
How Did Fiyero and Elphaba Meet in Jon M. Chu’sWicked?
Meanwhile, when it came toJon M. Chu’s 2024Wickedmovie, the first meeting between Fiyero and Elphaba seemed to differ completely from the original Broadway show. Although the two characters have been primal to the plot, their first encounter seemed shockingly changed for a fresh take. Well, considering how the Broadway show and the film are over two decades apart, things were perhaps changed to offer more fit and relatability as per today’s standards.
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Therefore, while the love triangle between Glinda, Elphaba, and Fiyero remained intact, the first encounter between the Prince and the witch was changed drastically. In the 2024Wickedmovie, whereCynthia Erivoplayed Elphaba, andJonathan Baileyplayed Prince Fiyero, the latter had a more dashing entrance on a talking horse, when he stumbled upon Elphaba, while she was walking in the woods.
Unlike the Broadway show where Fiyero and Elphaba met on the Shiz University campus while the prince’s carriage almost trampled her, in the 2024 movie, the duo met alone in the woods, when the witch was returning from Dr. Dillamond’s (Peter Dinklage) animal group. In theWickedmovie, Fiyero stumbled upon Elphaba and apologized saying, “you must have blended in with the foliage”.
Unlike the Broadway musical where Fiyero had a more carefree and playful exchange, the movie featured a more sophisticated and princely dialogue that carried a weight of empathy and concern, while simultaneously setting the stage for his character development. So it seems that while the essence of their connection remained the same, the background and dialogues were decidedly different, offering a subtle yet significant change.
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While audiences noticed significant changes in Fiyero and Elphaba’s first meeting, it wasn’t the only thing that differed from the Tony-winning Broadway musical. As perE! Online, Jon M. Chu’s 2024Wickedfilm adaptation diverged from the Broadway show in terms of the time dragon clock, Elphaba’s childhood, Doctor Dillamond and the animal freedom fighters, and so on.
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According to the outlet, the traveling puppet show called the Clock of the Time Dragon, which has been an integral part of the novel, has made an early appearance in the musical show. Whereas in the movie, it’s only mentioned briefly when Glinda (Ariana Grande) confirms Elphaba’s death to the citizens of Oz.
Similarly, as for Elphaba’s childhood, there were no flashback scenes showing her as a young child in the stage show. However, with the liberty for an extended version in the two-part movie, Jon M. Chu featured flashback sequences of Elphaba growing up, harnessing her powers from a young age, and also provided a backstory for why the witch was so concerned about animals being removed from society.
Further, in the musical, Elphaba is shown to be already enrolled at Shiz University as a way to help take care of her sister Nessarose. Whereas, in the film, she’s spotted at the University campus to merely drop off her sister. Additionally, there were a few changes made to the scene where Elphaba heads off to Emerald City. In the film, Elphaba’s father comes to bid her goodbye at the train station, whereas in the Broadway show, her father is nowhere to be seen at the station.
Is the New Wicked Movie Better Than the Broadway Musical?
After Jon M. Chu’sWickedfilm adaptationoffered a bold reimagination of the beloved Broadway musical, offering both familiar elements and exciting new twists, one question remains to be answered—is the movie better than the show? Well, the answer, like any good Wicked debate, is complicated.
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Both the musical and the movie have their own unique qualities, and each offers a distinct experience. Further, it needs to be addressed that what works on stage might not always translate perfectly to film, and vice versa. Therefore, it seems rather difficult to pick and choose a perfect winner.
However, comparing stage and cinematic scope with choreography and chemistry it can be said that the two-part movie has a vast opportunity to explore and play with time and expansive location, unlike the show. But in the end, the question of whether theWickedmovie is “better” than the Broadway musical comes down to personal preference.
Wicked(2024) is currently running at your nearest theaters.
Krittika Mukherjee
Senior Writer
Articles Published :3216
Krittika Mukherjee is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on films, TV shows, and celebrity news with over 3,000 articles published. With an educational background in Journalism, and a keen interest in filmmaking, Krittika blends factual precision with creative flair, when crafting her editorials, or dissecting fan theories.Her coverage often includes news and analyses of critically acclaimed films, celebrity news, and franchises like the Wizarding World, LOTR, DC, and MCU—particularly Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts, Superheroes, and fan theories. As a Wizarding World aficionado, Krittika has spent countless hours exploring hidden backstories, unadapted book moments, spells, and trivias surrounding J.K. Rowling’s lore.An imaginative writer with a way with words, Krittika has worked as an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a web content writer for a year. She brought her experience and expertise to FandomWire to pursue her desire for sipping coffee while dissecting films and tracking celebrity drama.
