Wicked: For Good co-screenwriter Dana Fox is shedding new light on the emotional final moments of the film.
The writer specifically gives away the glimpses of the last shot of Ariana Grande’s Glinda as the Grimmerie opens in her hands.
In the movie’s conclusion, Glinda believes Elphaba has died, leaving her with the powerful spell book she has never been able to read. Elphaba urges her to learn, and in the film’s last beat, the Grimmerie opens on its own, hinting that Glinda may finally have access to its magic — or that Elphaba has passed the gift on.
Fox, who co-wrote the screenplay with Wicked’s original Broadway writer Winnie Holzman, explained the weight of that moment in a conversation with Deadline.
“The other thing that kills me dead is when Elphaba gives Glinda the Grimmerie and Glinda finally says, ‘You know I can’t read that.’ I die,” Fox said. “To me, that performance and the fact that she says that and has that moment — that is her deepest shame.”
Fox noted that the film expands Glinda’s backstory to show the origin of that vulnerability. “In the film, we created the scene where you see her as a child, her deep want and need, and the original wound she has, and you understand how hard it is for Glinda to say she can’t access that magic. That’s the hardest thing for her to say and admit.”
She believes that honesty is what allows the Grimmerie to respond. “The fact that she admits it, to me, is why I think she earns the Grimmerie opening to her at the end of the film, which is also not in the play.”
Still, Fox stresses the moment is meant to be personal. “That should be everyone’s moment to decide how they want it to be and how they feel about it,” she said.
“I get chills just thinking about that ending, though. I love it so much.”