Wicked: A Two-Part Gamble That Could Backfire Spectacularly!
Wicked's Bold Two-Part Decision: A Risky Move Based on One Key Song
Get ready for a whole new take on the beloved musical, Wicked! This big-screen adaptation starring pop superstar Ariana Grande (as Glinda) and acclaimed actress Cynthia Erivo (as Elphaba) is going to hit theaters. But here’s a wild twist: it’s split into two parts; part one releasing now, with the second installment hitting the screens next year. This is an unusual and quite bold strategic choice! Yet what makes this entire situation so fascinating is the enormous risk inherent with this decision; a choice determined by a particular song used in this particular adaptation.
Wicked's storyline focuses on the unlikely friendship between those two famous witches before the events found within The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Director John M. Chu explains that this amazing story is just too big for one movie – and it presented significant difficulties tying events together following "Defying Gravity." Yet the specific choice of including the very first song introduces many issues; issues further explained below, discussing why the two-part release format adds additional risk, specifically linked to those issues arising due to including a particular song which becomes pivotal to the whole narrative.
A Risky First Song: "No One Mourns the Wicked"
Wicked's opening song, “No One Mourns The Wicked”, cleverly operates as both a framing device and a major thematic hook – but that key aspect is really affected and entirely changed through the choice of doing a two-part adaptation, highlighting the problems arising from a particular creative choice made during its adaptation to this big-screen version.
It's chronologically the end. The story mostly plays out as a flashback; coming full circle at the end. However; splitting the film creates many, many new problems: audiences might simply forget how part 1 began, if it fails to meet and capture audience’s interest initially!
Even more problematically; the impact of “No One Mourns the Wicked” will weaken if audiences must wait. It lacks a satisfying sense of closure and therefore the initial impact gets diluted; and viewers might just be left wanting and unsatisfied when viewing this segment. That clever contextual relevance found earlier within the song would cease to operate; without that very specific ending, if that song was played earlier, especially considering that thematic core, it would not operate or provide any meaningful addition to its already carefully chosen place within the movie’s carefully constructed storytelling scheme!
Why "No One Mourns the Wicked" Can't Be Cut!
Making that two-part decision made it necessary to entirely rethink the whole scheme involved, changing it radically compared to that previously existing plan! And there aren’t a lot of options left to the creators if their original adaptation plans were kept exactly as they were. The creative choice of selecting “No One Mourns the Wicked” as the opening presents various very hard problems. One key challenge: it simply can’t work unless they retell the events chronologically – however if the original plan and opening song are selected; the story risks losing viewers if there is not the same sense of urgency and continuity shown later! That same opening number also cannot simply be discarded. That’s incredibly difficult, highlighting how problematic this approach really is.
And that song's also incredibly crucial! It’s Wicked's signature moment– a powerful statement concerning Elphaba's fate and the complexity of that friendship between Elphaba and Glinda. Plus it cleverly mirrors "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead" from The Wizard of Oz; highlighting how similar these two storylines actually are!
Conclusion: A High-Stakes Gamble with Tremendous Potential (and Peril)
The two-part release strategy could either be genius or a massive disaster! It all rests upon if that beginning creates a gripping first impression which remains as compelling throughout this initial adaptation; that decision has enormous impact. Audiences might lose interest after the first movie! That "No One Mourns the Wicked" choice significantly enhances its potential as an incredibly impactful narrative tool – if and only if they plan around the choice of opening number!
It adds extra creative challenges – it’s bold and audacious. It might backfire, too. Everything rides on these next installments, with only the possibility of those future installments ever offering answers to this question surrounding the decision made when initially starting the whole story arc from this opening!
