TV

Thousands sign petition to keep James Corden out of Wicked movie: ‘We have suffered enough’

James Corden in The Prom

James Corden in The Prom. (Netflix)

Thousands of people have signed a petition demanding that James Corden be kept far, far away from the movie adaptation of Wicked.

Universal’s live-action remake of the hit musical will star Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Glinda, and will be directedĀ byĀ Crazy Rich Asians filmmaker Jon M Chu.

But fans’ excitement over the news was immediately accompanied by a creeping fear: that James Corden would somehow make his way into the cast.

The performer has somehow become a bankable name in stage-to-screen adaptations, perhaps finding that the standards of comedy are lower than on his chat show.

His recent credits include the deeply disturbingĀ Cats, Rob Marshallā€™sĀ Into the Woods, Amazonā€™s CinderellaĀ and Ryan Murphyā€™s The Prom, in which he turned out a “borderline offensive” portrayal of a gay man that inexplicably won him a Golden Globe.

With Wicked‘s supporting cast yet to be revealed and Corden’s agents presumably eyeing up a flying monkey role, fans have made a desperate plea: “We have suffered enough.”

So far over 28,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling on filmmakers to keep Corden out of Wicked. “James Corden in no way shape or form should be in or near the production of Wicked the movieā€¦ thatā€™s pretty much it,” the description reads.

The petition quickly picked up speed on social media as people begged producers to protect the beloved musical at all costs.

“I’ve never signed a petition so quickly in my life,” tweeted the singer Jack Remmington.

Wicked begins production in the UK in June 2022, with or without James Corden.

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