Adam McKay got candid about where he thinks Wicked will be in a few years.
The director and producer took to X (formerly Twitter) earlier this week to share his thoughts about Jon M. Chu’s record-breaking musical adaptation and how he doesn’t think it’ll be received as well down the line.
“On a pure storytelling level Wicked Part 1 is right up there as one of the most radical big studio Hollywood movies ever made,” he wrote in his first post, adding, “I know Part 2 swings back to the center a bit but Part 1 is nakedly about radicalization in the face of careerism, fascism, propaganda.”
He noted a few other movies that come to mind when he thinks of “radical” projects are Bridge on the River Kwai, The Sound of Music, the Searchers, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Hunger Games and Citizen Kane. He also mentioned The Best Years of Our Lives, Network, Dr. Strangelove and Serpico, despite not considering them “big studio movies.”
“What’s really striking about Wicked Part 1 is that it’s coming out NOW when America has never been more right wing and propagandized,” McKay continued. “And yes, I know the theatrical production and the book are much older so part of the timing is a coincidence but still…”
The Don’t Look Up director continued, explaining that he was not reviewing the film but simply sharing a point of view after watching it. In a series of replies to people who shared their thoughts with him, he expanded further on the film’s “radicalization.”
One user wrote that he didn’t watch it when it was in theaters near them because they thought it was just an American fantasy film but, had they known about the underlying storytelling that McKay referred to, they would’ve checked it out. Instead, the user shared they would watch it when it hits streaming.
“I think you’ll be shocked,” the Winning Time producer told the user. “If America keeps going on the track it is I wouldn’t be surprised to see the movie banned in 3-5 years.”
Wicked follows Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba, who has been misunderstood her whole life because of her green skin. When she begins her studies at Shiz University, she befriends Ariana Grande’s Glinda, a student whose main desire is to be popular. But, when they have an encounter with the Wizard of Oz (Jeff Goldblum), their powerful friendship reaches a crossroads.
When another user questioned the potential of an actual ban versus “some tiny town librarian” refusing “to let a child check it out without a parent’s permission,” McKay doubled down.
“Jesus dude. You really think I’m 100% saying the movie will for sure be banned to the point where no one can ever see it?” he wrote. “The idea of shutting down non profits at the President’s discretion is in motion. Things r changing fast.”
