Wicked–Mania has struck the globe like a Kansas farmhouse flattening a wicked witch with expensive taste in shoewear. Given its barnstorming box office success so far and its exceedingly positive word of mouth, the odds are looking good that Jon M. Chu’s mesmerizing musical will cross the coveted $1 billion mark, something only one other live-action release of 2024 has managed — Deadpool & Wolverine.
Given that, we can’t help but wonder: could Marvel hoover up some of that Oz magic for future projects? For a franchise that already features cameos from music superstars like Harry Styles, Meghan Thee Stallion, and Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande is bound to pop up in the MCU sometime. But what about her Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo? Her powerful performance as Elphaba is leading some to make an X-citing pitch: what if Marvel cast her as the X-Men’s Storm?
X user @MyTimeToShineHello went viral for asking folks what they would think of Erivo as Earth-616’s Ororo Monroe, and everyone had plenty to say on the topic — unfortunately, most of it was negative.
Marvel fans aren’t exactly crazy about this idea. “This would be the worst casting on planet earth,” wrote one, causing hyperbole detectors to explode everywhere.
Others feel the MCU’s alleged history of miscasting key roles means this fan-cast actually has a decent chance of happening.
But, OK, what’s the actual problem people have with the notion of Erivo as Storm? One fan attempted to sort their feelings on the hypothetical casting into words, admitting that “she is a talent, but she is not Storm.” The fan argued that there’s “a certain regalness and overwhelming presence” that the heroine possesses whereas they think Erivo is more “striking and soft.”
The problem here may be simply that everyone’s already chosen their own personal picks for Storm long ago. The Acolyte‘s Jodie Turner-Smith is a very popular choice, for instance.
As is Lupita Nyong’o, despite the fact she’s already Nakia in the Black Panther films, especially after her recent Halloween cosplay.
One fan, meanwhile, has an alternate metric for casting the character: “Storm has to be played by someone who I feel can beat my ass and I don’t think Cynthia holds that space.”
Alternatively, some refuse to play this game because they’re a little offended by how the internet has linked pretty much every Black actress to the part of Storm over the years. And, you know what, they may have a point.
Cynthia Erivo would be a gift to the MCU, there’s no doubt about that. What’s more, she’s already a part of the Disney family — thanks to her turn as the Blue Fairy in Pinocchio — so Marvel coming a-knocking is all too easy to imagine. Maybe she isn’t the absolute best pick to fill in for Halle Berry and Alexandra Shipp as Storm, however, and there’s another, better role out there for her. Or, to put it another way, she’s not that girl.
Published: Nov 27, 2024 03:37 pm