Wicked: Part 1 | Thanksgiving 2024 | Jon M Chu to direct | Ariana Grande is Galinda. Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba

[Eric Duncan]

 

[Morieris]

 

[Eric Duncan]

 

I'm dying lmao

[Eric Duncan]

Lol this will be a disaster

[filmlover]

Two movies out of this source material seems really unwise.

[Morieris]

"We want it to be the best it can be!"

 

Ok.....are you really seeking good?

 

 

Or just seeking attention?

 

 

Spoiler

 

Also wait, how long is the play? Or are they adapting the (admittedly hefty) book?

Edited April 26, 2022 by Morieris

[Jonwo]

1 minute ago, filmlover said:

Two movies out of this source material seems really unwise.

I know Wicked is a cashcow for Universal but I'm not sure how you could stretch it into two films. 

[grim22]

8 minutes ago, Eric is a furry said:

Lol this will be a disaster

Isn't the show about 2 and a half hours not counting the intermission? What was so important that they couldn't just put a single 150 minute movie in theaters over Christmas?

[Jonwo]

1 minute ago, grim22 said:

Isn't the show about 2 and a half hours not counting the intermission? What was so important that they couldn't just put a single 150 minute movie in theaters over Christmas?

One word: money.

[Eric Duncan]

The biggest issue, even outside of the inherent padding issues (the stage show is 2:45, both movies will somehow be 2:20 each, which...ew), is that Act II of Wicked doesn't really have any real hook. All the songs people know and recognize from Wicked are almost entirely in the first act, and the show isn't as big as it used to be where people would flock towards Part II solely on the name itself. Unless Part I is really, really good and/or Part II features an absolute banger tie-in song from Ariana Grande (which isn't impossible, since Ariana is a hit-making goddess who can do no wrong), we're probably in for a huge decline from film to film.

[grim22]

 

 

[grim22]

1 minute ago, Eric is a furry said:

The biggest issue, even outside of the inherent padding issues (the stage show is 2:45, both movies will somehow be 2:20 each, which...ew), is that Act II of Wicked doesn't really have any real hook. All the songs people know and recognize from Wicked are almost entirely in the first act, and the show isn't as big as it used to be where people would flock towards Part II solely on the name itself. Unless Part I is really, really good and/or Part II features an absolute banger tie-in song from Ariana Grande (which isn't impossible, since Ariana is a hit-making goddess who can do no wrong), we're probably in for a huge decline from film to film.

Wasn't the last tie-in song written by Ariana "Don't Call Me Angel"? Maybe this time will be the charm.

[Spidey Freak]

27 minutes ago, Jonwo said:

I know Wicked is a cashcow for Universal but I'm not sure how you could stretch it into two films. 

 

If you know, you have read the original book. 🤓

 

*Though the second half of the book while brilliant, is an unflinching exploration of racism, the evils of colonialism, misogyny and how fascism uses the propaganda  machine to tar and vilify anyone who takes a stand against them, and in this case, tries to take out its enemy on the back of a literal child (Dorothy).

 

It may not mesh very well with the tone of the Broadway show.

[grim22]

2 minutes ago, Spidey Freak said:

 

If you know, you have read the original book. 🤓

 

*Though the second half of the book while brilliant, is an unflinching exploration of racism, the evils of colonialism, misogyny and how fascism uses the propaganda  machine to tar and vilify anyone who takes a stand against them, and in this case, tries to take out its enemy on the back of a literal child (Dorothy).

 

It may not mesh very well with the tone of the Broadway show.

 

Perfect for families over Christmas. 

[Eric Duncan]

33 minutes ago, grim22 said:

Wasn't the last tie-in song written by Ariana "Don't Call Me Angel"? Maybe this time will be the charm.

Listened to it again for the first time in years. Genuinely insane how misguided and poorly-structured that song is. Each singer feels like they're singing a completely different song and it's hilarious.

[Spidey Freak]

7 minutes ago, grim22 said:

 

Perfect for families over Christmas. 

 

In retrospect, I don't know HOW they expected West Side Story to bring anyone the X-Mas cheer.

[Jonwo]

1 hour ago, Spidey Freak said:

 

If you know, you have read the original book. 🤓

 

*Though the second half of the book while brilliant, is an unflinching exploration of racism, the evils of colonialism, misogyny and how fascism uses the propaganda  machine to tar and vilify anyone who takes a stand against them, and in this case, tries to take out its enemy on the back of a literal child (Dorothy).

 

It may not mesh very well with the tone of the Broadway show.

The Broadway musical is only loosely based on the book with the emphasis on loosely.

[Cap]

I’m looking at the positive here. Alice Brooks will probably now get paid for two movies instead of one movie. And that’s a good thing.

 

Because financially, artistically, creatively this is a fucking stupid idea. Eric pointed all the fundamental reasons this is bad (agree on all points), and grim noted it’s only a 2.5 hour play. 
 

I’d go further to say that I don’t think the hype on wicked is anywhere near where used to be a decade ago. And I also don’t think the cast is strong enough to hook people for to films. 
 

Cynthia is not a big name and she is messy. There are plenty of people who don’t like her, and there are tons of other talented Black actresses who could do the role. Amber Riley would’ve been amazing. Hell; they could’ve been brave and cast Alex Newell. Shit, Jennifer Hudson is only 5 years older. Ariana DeBose is having a moment. 
 

And Ariana’s fans were not enough to move the needle on The Voice. And that’s a TV show. You’re not asking people to leave their house.

 

So they’re really selling this based off of the product, off the play. And why are we going to sit through two movies of it? And why are you releasing them a year apart? Why not six months apart? 
 

And why are you doing this at a time where musicals are making pennies on the dollar at the box office?

 

There have been plenty of films in the past year that have been 2 1/2 hours or two hours and 45 minutes. If you wanted to make a three hour movie just make a three hour movie.

 

But, again, Alice is going to get paid for two movies so that’s good!!!!

[Eric Duncan]

20 minutes ago, Cap said:

I’d go further to say that I don’t think the hype on wicked is anywhere near where used to be a decade ago. And I also don’t think the cast is strong enough to hook people for to films. 

This is why this whole thing drives me up the wall from a business perspective, because Wicked is already old hat in 2022. In 2010, when Wicked was the shiny, new Broadway sensation, I could understand going two parts. Still think it would be terrible creatively and Part II would still probably get a Mockingjay-style fall, but I at least would understand doing this as a way to cash in on something that's super big.

 

But in 2022, the normies that don't care about Broadway moved on from Wicked. Hamilton's now the new sensation for the GA (Disney+ arguably did a lot of heavy lifting on its longevity, though that will probably lose its position in about 5 years), and even Frozen has stolen a lot of Wicked's thunder as the flashy Idina Menzel musical about female empowerment and villain deconstruction. I can't think of the last time I've seen it brought up in non-Broadway circles.

[Reddroast]

Who would have thought the most heated debate during cinemacon here is wicked getting 2 movies