Don’t Ruin Wicked

Hi everyone, I am going to talk about the controversial Wicked movie news. For those that do not know, Wicked is the insanely popular Broadway musical that is about to be turned into a major Hollywood motion picture.

So what is the controversy? Well, it may be great that the beloved Wicked musical is being made into a movie. BUT they are splitting the movie into two parts. They will release part 1 with a likely cliffhanger ending. And, you then have to wait a year to see part 2!  I thought it would be a good idea  to explain the situation a bit and share my opinion about it.

Background

Before we get into all the controversy about this film, I wanted to explain what the musical Wicked is about and the impact it has on the Broadway community. Wicked is a prequel of the Wizard of Oz. It is a modern take on a prequel to the story, told from the perspective of Elphaba – the girl who grows up to be the “Wicked Witch of the West.” It is about when Elphaba and Glinda (the good Witch of the North) first met and how their friendship develops. It also discusses the struggles they go through.  The twist of course is that the Wicked Witch is not so evil after all.

The show became an instant hit on Broadway when it opened. It after years of Broadway performances and authorized performances around the world, it became the biggest Broadway show of the century. It is still running today.  So many people, including me, love this show. It has truly changed the world of Broadway.

My Personal Connection

I saw Wicked on Broadway when I was a little girl with my dad. I loved it. It was unlike anything I had ever seen. To this day I still love the music of Wicked and appreciate the impact the show has had on the Broadway community. It is one of my favorite musicals.

The Situation

Now let’s get into the controversy. There have been rumors about Wicked becoming a move for about six years. Finally last year the actresses to play Elphaba and Glinda were announced. This excited a lot of people. It showed that we might be getting a film adaptation of the beloved musical. Everyone started wondering when this film would be released. Then at the end of April director Jon Chu posted this announcement on twitter:

In other words, Mr. Chu put the PR spin on splitting the movie into two parts. Part 1 would premiere in December 2024, and then after a year, part 2 would come in December 2025. As far as my research shows, this is the the first Broadway musical film adaptation that got split up like this.

As you can imagine, this news was not very well received by many people. How do I feel about this? Here we go …

My Opinion

First of all, this was a shocking announcement for Wicked fans, and most, like me were quite disillusioned. You might speculate that the producers figured they would make more money by making two movies instead of one. Now, I never would fault anyone for seeking to earn a good living. However, here it seems like fan base abuse. Obviously the fanbase of Wicked is huge, and it is taking advantage of this interest by essentially collecting double fees – paying the price of two tickets instead of one.

But this is not really the worst of it. This musical is beautiful – a beautiful story and a beautiful score. Splitting a masterpiece like Wicked like this is disrespectful not only to the fans, but also the original work. Now let’s go into some reasons why this is a horrible idea:

 Cliffhangers

Since Wicked is being split into two parts part one will undoubtedly end on a manipulative cliffhanger. We will have to wait an entire year for part two. Also, if people do not like part one, they may not go to see part two. Finally, since there is such a long wait between the two movies, people may not remember what happened in part one since the two parts will be a year apart. It would be helpful if they did a recap of part one in part two.

Too Much Added Details

The original Wicked musical is an hour and a half. In a movie it would be even shorter because you can change scenes a lot faster. Making two movies means a lot of filling is being put in, you could sway an hour and a half for nonsense. Basically the added extra time will be material not in the original.  It will drag on for way too long. If it really has to be extended, artistic integrity says, make it one two-hour 30 minutes movie. Everything would flow better if it were all one movie instead of two parts.

A Blatant Money-Grab

I would not fault anyone for wanting to make as much profit as they can. But by the same token, I can also point it out and criticize that as demeaning both to the fanbase and the original work. Of course it is expected that loyal fans of Wicked will pay to see the movie. This split is taking advantage of that good will If people want to see the end of the story, they will have to pay again to see part two next year. Also fans are manipulated into re-watching part one by renting or streaming it closer to part two to refresh your memory on the plot of part one.

It Will Lose the Quality Vibe of the Original

I feel  like if they add too much to the story it will not feel the same as the original. I feel like if you already have the story, you should make it as close to the original as possible. That way people can connect the story to the movie. The point of making a movie musical should be to give the musical to people who cannot see it live. It should not be to create a new story.

Conclusion

In conclusion, splitting the Wicked movie into two will not be good for the movie or its fans. How will the producers address this rising wave of distaste? Only time will tell.