‘We dodged a bullet fr’: A 2021 petition demanded a certain musical menace come no where near ‘Wicked,’ thank goodness

Three years ago, when the Wicked movie was greenlit, the internet was buzzing, not only with excitement, but with a hint of determination. Why, you say? Well, let’s just say that many die-hard theater fans didn’t want James Corden involved.

But it’s more than that! It got so bad that a Change.org petition was drawn up, begging the filmmakers to keep Corden far, far away from the project. The petition ultimately garnered over 100,000 signatures, a hilarious testament to how strongly people felt about the idea of Corden making his way to the Land of Oz. 

What’s the deal with James Corden and musicals anyway?

Fast forward to today, Wicked is finally out, and James Corden is nowhere in the movie. And judging by the overwhelming praise for the film, fans are breathing a collective sigh of relief. One particularly dedicated X user admitted to signing the petition under three separate aliases, showcasing just how serious people were about keeping Corden out of Oz.

The online petition, hosted on Change.org, was as straightforward as ever: “James Corden in no way, shape, or form should be in or near the production of Wicked the movie.” Talk about blunt!

The internet never forgets, especially when it comes to James Corden’s track record in musicals. Do we really need to go over his role as Bustopher Jones in Cats? The movie was heavily criticized and is now considered, well, a joke. His performance in Netflix’s The Prom may not have been worse than Bustopher’s, but it was also pretty bad, as he became an unfunny caricature of the character. Overall, Corden’s over-the-top style in these musicals has become infamous, and it may have fared well in 2014’s Into the Woods, but it’s not been a fun ride since. 

For Wicked, a beloved Broadway hit with legions of fans, the idea of Corden joining the cast was a step too far, but as another X user puts it, “we dodged a bullet fr.” While he has a Tony Award to his name for One Man, Two Guvnors, and is no stranger to Broadway, Corden’s ventures into movie musicals have missed the mark.

Did the fans influence Hollywood?

It’s unclear if the petition influenced the casting decisions. It’s entirely possible the filmmakers never intended to cast Corden in the first place. Regardless, fans are happy to feel they had some say in protecting the movie from what they saw as a potential misstep. Moreover, the petition shows just how protective fans are of the beloved Broadway classic, which has been reeling in audiences since 2003.

Whether petitions like these actually sway Hollywood decisions is debatable, but the passionate response shows how deeply fans care about preserving the integrity of stories they love. As for Corden — while he wasn’t involved in Wicked, his name will likely continue to pop up in conversations about movie musicals, just not in the way he might hope. And let’s be honest, there’s a whole second movie coming out in 2025. Who knows? Corden just might be in the lineup.