Adam McKay says he 'wouldn't be surprised' if “Wicked” is 'banned in 3-5 years'

Adam McKay isn’t sure that Wicked will be staying around for good. 

The Vice director praised the Ariana Grande- and Cynthia Erivo-led musical on social media earlier this week, but noted that its “radical” subject matter could very well see the film get banned in future years. 

“On a pure storytelling level Wicked Part 1 is right up there as one of the most radical big studio Hollywood movies ever made,” McKay wrote on X. “I know Part 2 swings back to the center a bit but Part 1 is nakedly about radicalization in the face of careerism, fascism, propaganda.”

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Related: Wicked Part Two has a new title: Here's everything we know about the sequel, For Good

He went on to compare Wicked to other self-described “radical” films such as Bridge on the River Kwai, The Sound of Music, The Hunger Games, and Citizen Kane. 

“What’s really striking about Wicked Part 1 is that it’s coming out NOW when America has never been more right wing and propagandized,” McKay continued. “And yes, I know the theatrical production and the book are much older so part of the timing is a coincidence but still…”

Based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel and the Tony award-winning musical, Wicked follows young witch Elphaba (Erivo) as she attends Shiz University. While there, she befriends her roommate Glinda (Grande) and becomes a supporter of animal rights after she sees the creatures are being imprisoned and stripped of their jobs and speech capabilities. 

When one X user commented their interest in seeing the film after learning of its subject matter, McKay wrote back, “I think you’ll be shocked. If America keeps going on the track it is I wouldn’t be surprised to see the movie banned in 3-5 years.” 

He refused to back down on his assumption after a second user questioned just how far he believed a potential ban on the film would go. “Jesus dude. You really think I’m 100% saying the movie will for sure be banned to the point where no one can ever see it?” McKay wrote. “The idea of shutting down non profits at the President’s discretion is in motion. Things r changing fast.”

Related: Demi Moore as Elphaba? No music? Two decades ago, Wicked would've been a very different movie

McKay has been always been outspoken about politics both on social media and in his films over the years. His most recent project Don’t Look Up followed a pair of astronomers as they attempted to warn humanity about a cataclysmic comet careening toward Earth, and he received multiple Oscar nods for his 2018 biopic Vice, which dramatized the life of former Vice President Dick Cheney. 

Last month, McKay also blasted Vice President Kamala Harris after she lost the presidential election to Donald Trump and called for others to “abandon” the Democratic Party with him. 

He wrote in part, “Who would have guessed lying about Biden’s cognitive health for 2 yrs, refusing to do an open convention for a new nominee, never mentioning public healthcare & embracing fracking, the Cheneys & a yr long slaughter of children in Gaza wouldn’t be a winning strategy?"

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