People may not be able to agree on much these days, but there seems to be a general consensus when it comes to the upcoming film adaptation of Broadway’s hit musical Wicked – James Corden should not be cast.
A petition posted on Change.org and addressed directly to Universal producers has racked up over 50,000 signatures, and is expected to hit 100,000 by the end of the week. Titled “Keep James Corden Out of Wicked the Movie,” the petition simply states: “James Corden in no way, shape, or form should be in or near the production of Wicked the movie. That’s pretty much it.”
The Hollywood Reporter first brought attention to the petition after it began to gain traction on social media. Corden was also trending over the weekend after major casting announcements were made for the Wicked movie, with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande playing leads Elphaba and Glinda, respectively.
The dislike towards Corden seemingly stems from the fact that he has been in almost every recent stage-to-screen adaption of beloved musicals, and his performances have been some of the worst-reviewed of any actor in the 21st century.
In Tom Hooper’s disastrous making of Cats, Corden ruined a song celebrating how much everyone loves fat cats by making fat jokes and looking into the camera as he said the word “cats,” and in Ryan Murphy’s The Prom, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination, critics and viewers alike thought his portrayal of Barry Glickman, featuring a lisp and limp wrist, was insulting, homophobic, and relied on archaic gay stereotypes.
Then there’s Amazon’s recently release of Cinderella, which Corden co-produced. Not only is his mouse-to-human transformation absolutely terrifying, but he raised the ire of social media by starring in a viral clip where he dressed as a rat and thrust his groin at random drivers stuck in L.A. traffic to promote the movie.
James Corden, Camila Cabello, Billy Porter and Idina Menzel stopped traffic in LA for a flash mob with a cover of Jennifer Lopez’s “Let’s Get Loud” to promote #CinderellaMovie pic.twitter.com/dxm8LIKVvi
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) August 28, 2021
Wicked is being directed by In the Heights and Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu and will begin production in the UK in 2022. If you hope Corden is nowhere near the set, sign the petition HERE.
I love Corden, but agree that he would not be a good choice for Wicked.
I don’t think he’s all that funny and I don’t take him seriously
Stop James cordon with wicked movie
Were do I sign up