Adam McKay thinks ‘Wicked’ “could be banned in three years” if “America keeps going on the track it is”

nme.com:

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.