The Big ShortandDon’t Look UpdirectorAdam McKaythinksWickedis “one of the most radical big studio Hollywood movies ever made.” Not only that, but he went on to add that, “if America keeps going on the track it is, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the movie banned in 3-5 years.”
In a newseries of tweetson the platform formerly known as Twitter (and now known as X), the deeply politically-minded and active director broke down some of the reasons why he’s so surprised about the “striking” juxtaposition between the film’s message and the time at which it’s coming out.
‘Wicked’ Was Almost a Very Different Movie…In the 1990s
Two significant industry figures were vying for the rights of Gregory Maguire’s novel in the 1990s.
After all, “America has never been more right wing and propagandized,” McKay noted. And it’s hard to argue against that point—which could make for an interesting trajectory for the film’s future.
Why Does Adam McKay Think ‘Wicked’ Could Be Banned Soon?
The story at the heart ofWickedis an inherently radical one. A re-imagining of the story of The Wicked Witch of the Westfrom L. Frank Baum’sLand of Oznovels — from which the classicThe Wizard of Ozfilm was born — the Gregory Macguire novel is a dense and fascinating retelling of the seeming villain’s origins. InWicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Macguire recasts Elphaba as a deeply misunderstood person, and one of the few people brave enough to stand up against the fascistic dictator that is the Wizard (played by Jeff Goldblum in the film).
As theDenver Gazetteput it in their 2022 interview with the novelist,Wickedis, “a cautionary tale … about what happens when we as a society decide to label anyone who differs from the norm as evil.” Themes surrounding terrorism, propaganda, and political corruption were purposefully placed in the original text by Macguire who — as he explained in an interview with Australian publicationThe Agein 2008 — explicitly “set out to examine the language and propaganda used to marshal brute force against individuals or minorities that might have been opposed to the war” withWicked.
The book’s meditation on good and evil, and how easily people can be swayed to act against their own self-interest and the betterment of humanity, feels like exactly the sort of thing that would rev up a director like McKay, whose own work has gone above and beyond the call to tell society about itself.
“On a pure storytelling level,WickedPart 1 is right up there as one of the most radical big studio Hollywood movies ever made,” he wrote. Adding that while, “part 2 swings back to the center a bit … Part 1 is nakedly about radicalization in the face of careerism, fascism, propaganda.” Given that the film has beenseparated into two parts, hopefully some of that radical messaging will remain.
He also mentioned that his “daughter told me the book is wild and worth a read,” which is correct — and hopefully something the director will do in the future. Because given the state of America (and many parts of the world at large right now), it feels more important than ever for people to heed the message of a film (and novel) likeWicked.
Of course, just because McKay says that it could be banned doesn’t mean that it will — he himself explains as much in his thread — but it is an important warning for anyone who thinks merely sitting idly by while the world spins further into misinformation and polarization is the answer to anything.
Wicked adapts the Broadway musical into a two-part film, following the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, born with green skin, and Glinda, a popular aristocrat, in the Land of Oz. As they navigate their contrasting paths, they evolve into Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West.
