Adam McKay has a strong opinion about the future of Wicked involving our current political climate.
After seeing the fantasy musical epic, which stars Ariana Grande opposite Cynthia Erivo, on Monday (December 23), the filmmaker, producer and screenwriter expressed on X his reasons why the film could potentially be banned.
"On a pure storytelling level Wicked Part 1 is right up there as one of the most radical big studio Hollywood movies ever made," McKay wrote. "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."
In response to a person in Dublin who thought the film was simply "American fantasy, franchise-wringing and CGI fare," McKay added that the individual might be "shocked."
"If America keeps going on the track it is I wouldn’t be surprised to see the movie banned in 3-5 years," he continued.
After someone "bet a million dollars" that the movie will be available to view roughly five years from now, McKay remained doubtful.
"It’s bizarre how many people think the possibility of movies, books, music being banned in the U.S. in the near future is a “crazy” idea. There’s a whole crowd that really has zero idea what’s going on big picture," he said.
"Even stranger a lot of them argue that if you still can see the movie or read the book in any way then it’s not a “ban.” I can’t tell if they’re really as out of it as they seem or just wigged out about the time we live in."
While insisting that he doesn't know "specifically any movie or book" that could be banned on a federal or state level, he linked a Democracy Now post about President Donald Trump planning to shut down nonprofits through the H.R. 9495 bill. As America will be under the Republican GOP and the controversial Project 2025 there are concerns that the nation could be strongly divided.
Some characters in Wicked maintain prejudices against Elphaba, later known as the Wicked Witch of the West, due to her green skin, similar to the themes of racism and prejudice also found in the hit Broadway musical.
