Am I the only one who thinks WICKED won't work as a movie?!?!

[aces25]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 6:36pm

Honestly, I looooooove Wicked but it will not be a good film and not be done well... Filmmakers should be doing Hairspray, Producers, Sweeny Toodd.. They will work!

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 6:41pm

Well, the way America feels about the Wizard of OZ....I think that it might sell a lot of tickets......


On the subject of musicals that won't work as a movie...I kinda don't think that RENT will, I think that it will be kinda like A Chorus Line, a great movie, but some of the magic was lost on the transition from stage to screen.

[BEKA531]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 6:43pm

it could work as a movie, but i fear that a lot of the plot will be lost from book > screen, maybe even more than book > stage.

[broadwaybound3]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 7:00pm

totally beka- so much was lost from book>stage.... im sure even more would be lost over that next move... it happened a bit with phantom- not that bad tho.- it basically stuck... but i feel with wicked it would be a different story.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 7:03pm

I think WICKED would work as a movie, if it was an adaptation of the book, instead of an adaptation of the show, meaning no music. Not a musical. They could make it very dark and realistic with obvious underscorting, but do away with the singing and everything - it just doesn't work.

Posted: 2/6/05 at 7:13pm

I definitely think that they could make it work. I think they could do some amazing things special effects wise with Defying Gravity.

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 7:15pm

The reason some of those songs are spectacular though is because they are live on stage - I can't imagine a movie making them as uplifting and exciting.

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 7:15pm

I dont know about Wicked as a movie. I would be interested to see their interpretation of it but, like some have said, alot of its magic will inevitably be lost. The problem is that if they arent careful Wicked will turn into another childish fantasy film with magical creatures and songs etc. They would be walking a very fine line since alot of the things that seem spectacular on stage (dance numbers, sets, effects etc) would be nothing on the big screen. I just dont think they could pull off a good Wicked movie based off the musical. the book as a base might work though.

And as for RENT, I have high hopes for it. At first I was a little reluctant about the idea but I think that they will stay true to the story and not edit it so it suits hollywood protocol. Though I agree that it wouldnt hold a candle to seeing the show live and in person. But for those who cant see the show the movie is something I really look foward to seeing.

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 8:01pm

Yeah, I think the fact they got most of the original Broadway cast speaks highly of the project as a whole, on an artistic level.

[InfiniteTheaterFrenzy]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 8:03pm

I'm a huge fan of the theory that ANYTHING can work as a movie, anything can work as a musical, etc... if it's in the right hands and done well.

[BWAYboi_yes]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 8:04pm

It would be awful. A movie of Wicked, the book, would be FABULOUS! They could even take some of those wretched tunes and turn them into underscoring. The film would be a huge hit, we're talking BIG. But a movie with singing and dancing witches and stuff? It would be so bad I'd die.

[ljay889]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 8:11pm

I think Wicked the Novel on the screen would be way to boring and would drag on.

[elphie30]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 9:23pm

[elphie30]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 9:26pm

Hairspray has already been made into a movie mabye they need to do an updated on! Wicked wouldn't be good as a movie casue of all the details like her flying or anything it would be like another wizard of oz kind of

[commasplice]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 9:41pm

Err, Elphie30, the Hairspray movie came before the musical, and they're making a movie version of the musical. Not sure if that's what you meant or not.

Is anyone else picturing a Wicked Musical movie and it being ridiculously campy? I'm trying to picture it as a serious film, but everything I think of looks really unintentionally funny.

How about Wicked the novel as a TV miniseries? That way, they could do it without cutting much out, and it wouldn't have to drag on as much because it would be in segments.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 9:55pm

I'm agreeing with munkustrap...Wicked the Musical a movie? No, I can't see that. Wicked the book? Sure, why not.

[StateOfJade]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 10:21pm

I don't think it works as a show lol

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 10:48pm

I agree that a Wicked: the musical movie would be way too campy and fantasy/sing along-ish. I suppose it could work if it followed the book and there was no singing but by doing that your pretty much killing half the movie. When I picture a Wicked musical movie, I see the witches in various fantasy places having touching moments then breaking into song. Like I said, seeing how someone would approach this would be interesting but I would have little to no faith in it turning out well.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 11:00pm

the only way I could see it working would be just as a light musical comedy for ABC's Wonderful World of Disney. obviously the show is successful at this point in ticket sales so they'd probably retain most of the original script which is such a shame becasue it's so bad...

[gravity87]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 11:03pm

Defying fravity owuld BLOW!!!, who ever played glinda would be accused of overacting, the green makep wopule look fake, stage and screen are very different, as much as I love wicked its power would be lost on screen

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 11:05pm

funny, Margaret Hamilton looked okay and that was in 1939...

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 2/6/05 at 11:16pm

I agree completely gravity87. The stage and the screen are insanely different in the sense that what might amaze us on stage would completely dissapoint us on film. It could go two ways, they could try to make it super spectacular because film has such a higher demand to call something amazing and it will turn out waaaay over the top and too overdone or they will just leave it like it is in the musical somehow and it will be dissapointing. I'm not trying to be a pessimist here but this is something that I think would be butchered in the process of taking it to a big screen.

[Parks]

Posted: 2/7/05 at 12:02am

I think Wicked the musical could DEFFINATELY make it as a movie. Have you all thought that maybe they could do a lot more with the movie (as Elvis said) special effects wise. They wouldn't be limited to just the stage anymore. They could do so much more-making it fit better as a movie. They wouldn't necessarily have to stick to the EXACT stage script. You know, they could change it to where it is more like the book. They could alter the lyrics. They often do that in movie musicals, don't they? They even took out/added some songs to Funny Girl the movie. I never saw it...but I listened to some of the music.. I think Wicked would make a really cool movie as a movie musical.

[luvliza89]

Posted: 2/7/05 at 1:14am

I don't think it would work at all. First off, the jokes are all to lame and played directly to the audience. Think of any jokes that Glinda says. Now try to see them in a movie. It wouldn't work. I also think it would turn out very campy if made into a film. I think the musical needs the audience right there to play both joke and song to them. But a movie of the book would be amazing.

[Dreamcatcher]

Posted: 2/7/05 at 1:14am

They would have to walk a fine fine line to make it work. On the one hand I see where you are coming from (I see, in particular, that scene from the 3rd lord of the rings movie where Pippin is singing that Mist and Shadow song with flashes to the suicidal attack.) Now I admit that scene was phenomenal and so moving to me and I think if they approached the songs of Wicked with that kind of shooting then it could potentially be a good thing. But if they were to just film the characters singing from various angles (like if someone took a camera into the theatre and filmed the whole show) it would really take away from good effects. I think what would make or break the film is how they go about shooting it and showing it.