Adam McKay has said that he thinks Wicked could be banned in three years’ time if the US “keeps going on the track it is”.
The hit movie is an adaptation of the stage musical of the same name and stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as Glinda and Elphaba, two classmates at Shiz University who are on the path to becoming Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West respectively.
Towards its climax, the film depicts the moment that the two characters finally meet Jeff Goldblum’s Wizard of Oz, who is revealed to hold a tyrannical rule over the people of Oz.
Now, Don’t Look Up and The Big Short director McKay has shared his thoughts on the film’s politics, writing on X on Tuesday (December 24): “On a pure storytelling level Wicked Part 1 is right up there as one of the most radical big studio Hollywood movies ever made. 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.”
On a pure storytelling level Wicked Part 1 is right up there as one of the most radical big studio Hollywood movies ever made.
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.
— Adam McKay (@ZombiePanther2) December 23, 2024
“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,” he continued. “And yes, I know the theatrical production and the book are much older so part of the timing is a coincidence but still…”
McKay went on to reply to another X user, stressing that he believes with a second Donald Trump presidency incoming, films with such bold messaging may not be welcome for much longer. “I think you’ll be shocked,” he wrote. “If America keeps going on the track it is I wouldn’t be surprised to see the movie banned in 3-5 years.”
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.
And yes, I know the theatrical production and the book are much older so part of the timing is a coincidence but still…
— Adam McKay (@ZombiePanther2) December 23, 2024
McKay then referenced other Hollywood films that he believes were similarly radical, including The Bridge On The River Kwai, Citizen Kane, The Searchers, The Sound Of Music and The Hunger Games.
Wicked has been a major commercial hit in recent weeks and has been well-received by critics too. In a four-star review, NME wrote: “Wicked flags a little in the middle, but not enough to dampen a dramatic climax in which Elphaba and Glinda travel to Oz to meet the fabled Wonderful Wizard (Jeff Goldblum). He and Yeoh sell their brief musical numbers on twinkly charisma, but Erivo and Grande are both vocally extraordinary.”
“Crucially, they also have crackling chemistry punctuated by Erivo’s bursts of intensity and Grande’s slick comic timing. By the end, you won’t quite be levitating off your seat but you’ll definitely be enchanted enough to stream the soundtrack on the way home. Funny, colourful and full of empathy for outsiders, this film really is the Shiz.”
The second part of the film, titled Wicked: For Good, is due to be released in November 2025.
English (US) · 