The wait for the film adaptation of “Wicked” has been long, but will finally see its release on Nov. 22. Though the movie is not out yet, plenty of drama and promotion have kept it in the news.
The movie adaptation of the beloved play “Wicked” has been in the making for years, and in 2024, it is finally approaching its release.
The play “Wicked,” adapted from Gregory Maguire’s original novel, has been a fan favorite for almost three decades. However, the movie has the challenge of keeping the magic alive and not becoming another failed remake.
“It’s always pretty worrying when [movie producers] remake a movie,” senior Mia Reid said.
Many movie adaptations have failed to retain the magic of the original. This issue affects long-time fans of the original material, and it’s the same with the “Wicked” movie.
“I’m scared of the ways that they are going to change the songs, especially the way that they’re sung ’cause it’s gonna be different,” senior Beatrice Cardoso Amaral Lapa said.
It’s not unexpected that the movie features famous and talented actors such as Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh and more. What is unexpected is the controversy that ensued with actor Ethan Slater and Grande in the summer of 2023.
It was revealed that Slater and Grande got together while still in relationships with other people. This caused outrage on platforms such as X, formerly known as Twitter, due to Slater having a child and the friendship between his wife and Grande. This controversy, which involved multiple members of the cast, heavily affected the movie’s reputation.
Since then, the backlash that Slater and Grande’s relationship received has slowed down, which led the Wicked movie promotion to shine.
The marketing for this movie has been going on for ages. On Jan. 23, 2024, they launched the official Wicked Movie YouTube channel and posted the first video in May 2024. The promotion period has been going on so long that many believed it had already come out.
As the movie approaches, there has been an increase in promotion and marketing for it, particularly in collaborations. The collaborations are not only large in quality they are also large in quantity. They collaborate with Beis Luggage, Lego, Funko Pop, H&M, Aerie, Forever 21 and more. The most notable collaboration is with Stanley, as it caused altercations that gained traction on the internet. Having such a strong and in-your-face marketing tactic invoked both positive and negative emotions.
“I think a lot of people have been talking about it. It’s impossible to not know that it’s going to be released soon,” junior Lorena Trevino said. “I feel like I’m sometimes bombarded with advertisements and commercials and the trailer, and while it is good to get the word out, I think sometimes it’s a little annoying.”
While the promotion period was going smoothly, Cynthia Erivo got into some drama of her own. As the promotions were underway, Universal Pictures posted a poster similar to the original poster. A fan of the movie made a fan edit to make it look more like the original Wicked Poster. It gained so much traction that it reached Erivo herself and she was far from happy. She took to her Instagram story, expressing her frustration calling the edit “degrading.” This caused a lot of media attention, none of it favoring her. Since then, at the 2024 CFDA Awards, Erivo backtracked, saying she should have kept it private.
With all the promotion and controversy, it’s up to the fans to decide whether the movie encapsulates the play’s charm.
