Fans of the hit stage musical Wicked were excited last week to learn of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's casting in the upcoming movie adaptation. However, a change.org petition pre-emptively demanding to stop The Late Late Show host James Corden from starring in the Universal movie has since gone viral with over 65,000 signatures (at time of writing).
While no announcements of Corden's casting or involvement have been made, the aversion stems from his starring roles in a string of previous adaptations of hit Broadway productions, including 2019's much-maligned Cats. A movie adaptation of Wicked has been in the works for years since its 2003 debut on Broadway, and Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M Chu was announced to direct earlier this year.
The online petition, addressed to the producers of the movie, Universal Pictures, appeared shortly after Grande and Erivo's casting in Wicked with the simple description: "James Corden in no way shape or form should be in or near the production of Wicked the movie." It gained traction as Corden's name began trending on Twitter in connection to Wicked, with some less-than-supportive comments. Signatories on change.org provided succinct reasoning for their signing, including "we've suffered enough," and "he must be stopped."
Corden found major success in the US as host of The Late Late Show, becoming a household name because of it. But his performance in Netflix's adaptation of The Prom (2020) was panned by critics and audiences alike. Vanity Fair called his portrayal of a gay, out-of-work actor "appalling and terminally bland," while many took offense at a straight actor playing flamboyantly camp. 2020 also saw the release of the infamous Cats, in which Corden starred as Bustopher Jones. Cats creator Andrew Lloyd Webber even spoke out about the performance, remarking there were parts he "begged to be cut."
What some people see as the oversaturation of Corden has been causing a steadily rising level of distaste for him online. In August this year, Corden went viral after pulling a publicity stunt to promote his Cinderella movie. A clip of a literal traffic-stopping flash mob in L.A. from someone caught in the chaos made its way to Twitter, showing Corden, dressed as a rat, thrusting his groin at the camera. The reaction on the social media site was overwhelmingly negative, and was redolent of the Ask Me Anything Q&A session on Reddit that Corden and his Carpool Karaoke team tried to run in 2019 - it only lasted three questions after a barrage of over 700 negative comments.
Nevertheless, Corden previously received overwhelmingly positive reviews for his performance in the 2012 production of One Man, Two Guvnors in London's West End, which even earned him a Tony Award after its transferral to Broadway. His ubiquity is undoubtedly a sign of success, and it is unlikely he will disappear from the public eye anytime soon, especially as big-screen musical adaptations are taking off. Meanwhile, Corden has not responded to the online petition and its signatories can sleep easy knowing no announcements of his involvement in Wicked have been made - yet.
Wicked is due to start production in 2022.
Source: Mikel Miller | change.org