After 84 years, Universal has finally found their leads for the long-delayed Wicked movie: Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

First a book by Gregory Maguire, Wicked was adapted and greatly transformed into the 2003 Broadway musical that has gone on to generate more than $1 billion in ticket sales and become a great soundtrack for AMV makers. Stephen Schwartz wrote the music and lyrics, and Winnie Holzman wrote the book for the Broadway version.

The musical is a take on the Wizard of Oz from the perspective of Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch, who meet in college and, through destiny and mixed racial metaphors, are forced to choose different paths. There is also a dude in it, but he doesn’t matter.

Universal has had an adaptation of the musical in the works since 2004, says The Hollywood Reporter, and this upcoming film is to be directed by In the Heights’ Jon M. Chu. Erivo will play Elphaba, while Grande will play Glinda.

Cynthia Erivo, is an English actress who won a Tony Award for playing Celie in The Color Purple revival and became an Academy Award nominee for her role in Harriet, a controversial one due to her comments about Black Americans. She is, without a doubt, a talented singer and actress with a Broadway background.

Ariana Grande, while best known for her R&B/Pop music, also has a Broadway background and was an actress before making the switch to pop music. I honestly would love to see her do a rendition of “Popular.”

This casting has gotten mixed response, due to the age of the actresses, who are supposed to play freshmen college students at the beginning of the story. Erivo is only two years older than Idina Menzel was when she originated the role, but still, that works on stage but may not in a film adaptation.

I think both women are fully capable of performing the roles, but musical adaptations are just a very mixed bag. Most don’t do well because there is something about the stage performance that is special.

As someone who has just recently seen Wicked on Broadway for the second time, I can say that the set design, production, and effects make it so much more compelling to watch. That’s especially true when Act 1 is really solid, but then Act 2 sort of us just … devolves into a rushed heteronormative love triangle with a lot of unnecessary references to The Wizard of Oz and really outdated ableism in how Nessarose/The Wicked Witch of the East is depicted.

For Wicked fans, this will be an exciting development, and hopefully it will at least do better than Cats and Dear Evan Hansen, because I don’t think the theatre kid community can take another blow.

(via THR, image: TORSTEN BLACKWOOD/AFP via Getty Images)

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Suicide Squad director David Ayer shared an image on Twitter of Jared Leto’s Joker with the caption: “Jared Killed it. But no one knows.”

Jared killed it
But no one knows pic.twitter.com/bQxdVpUR65

— David Ayer (@DavidAyerMovies) November 4, 2021

With the success of the “Snyder Cut” of Justice League on HBO Max, some people have been loudly supporting David Ayer as he expresses his own frustrations with the way that Warner Bros. chopped up his original Suicide Squad film.

Is there a legit possibility that Jared Leto did a good job with his performance as the Joker in Ayer’s version of Suicide Squad? Absolutely. He was good in that extended scene in the Snyder Cut—but Ayer wasn’t directing that. Leto is a good actor, and it was clear he went all-in with the Joker, which is honestly part of the problem.

Considering all that went on behind the scenes with Zack Snyder and the messy way Warner Bros. has handled DC movies, I do think they have harmed some of the earlier films. Suicide Squad could have absolutely benefited from being allowed to be an R-rated movie and had an excellent cast that was desperate to do well. However, Leto’s backstage behavior was so obnoxious that I just do not feel like rewarding him.

Jared Leto’s chaotic method acting

In case you have forgotten, Leto got very “method” and would leave his cast mates weird gifts—although he does strongly deny sending Margot Robbie a dead rat—which, for the record, she doesn’t say he did. She said he gave her a live rat, but he does say that he got her vegan cinnamon buns.

“I did a lot of things to create a dynamic to create an element of surprise, a spontaneity and to really break down any kind of walls that may be there. The Joker is somebody who doesn’t really respect things like personal space or boundaries,” he said back then.

Viola Davis shared one story about how he gave the cast a dead pig.

“He did some bad things, Jared Leto did. He gave some really horrific gifts,” Davis said. “He had a henchman who would come into the rehearsal room, and the henchman came in with a dead pig and plopped it on the table, and then he walked out. And that was our introduction into Jared Leto.”

That is just really gross behavior, and there is just something that feels gross about rewarding him for doing that on set—regardless of how good he was onscreen. Method acting by having an accent and wig on is one thing; deciding to embody chaotic energy by sending disturbing gifts to your cast mates is another. The Joker may not respect personal space or boundaries, but Jared Leto should.

Maybe Ayer is right and Leto did kill it, and we should have a larger conversation of how Warner Bros. limited the vision of its players—but one thing we can say about the Snyder Cut is that no one spoke about being method acting creeped out on it.

(image: Warner Bros.)

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Writers: Hudlin Entertainment inc and Leon Chills / Artists: Doug Braithwaite, Taurin Clarke, Andrew Currie, and Brad Anderson / DC Comics

Y’all. It just got real in Icon & Rocket. 

This series has been great from the jump, but Icon & Rocket #4 took it to the next level. 

Icon & Rocket have cleaned the drug dealers off the streets, then went worldwide and dealt with the suppliers. The only problem is, that’s the money that controls governments, and without its influx, there’s serious potential for major power vacuums. 

That’s where we get our new villain, a Martian Manhunter who has been on Earth for almost as long as Augustus Freeman, who the government has tasked with taking out alien threats in the past. It’s heavily implied that he killed a baby Kal-El in 1939, which is absolutely insane and cool. 

Now he’s after Icon & Rocket, trying to scare Rocket into stopping this crusade by hurting her mother. 

First off, I just want to say: Wow. 

When they first announced the return of Milestone, I felt like it would be it’s complete own thing. Yes, it exists in the greater multiverse, but I didn’t think they’d be touching on, even in small ways, major markers of the universe. But now we’ve got a full-fledged Martian Manhunter who killed Superman.

It’s not supposed to be J’onn J’onnz, at least not as of now. I’m pretty sure it’s just another Martian. And I like that. It’s just enough of a nod to pique your interest but not too on the nose where it feels forced. I can’t explain to you how far my jaw dropped and how loud I screamed. It was so dope. 

Icon & Rocket #4 give Icon an interesting villain, and because they’re both not from this planet but their origins are different, I wonder if in the future they might need to team up when the powers that be make the decision to go after both of them. I’ll be there for that. That’s exciting stuff.

10 Multiversal Connections out of 10

Enjoying Icon & Rocket? Check out BNP’s other reviews here.

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The post Icon & Rocket #4: Season One Review appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.

Season 5/Episode 2, HBO

One Year Later…

Issa got the BLOCC hot, Molly on her mindfulness, and the best relationship in Insecure history is back on track. Now, that’s how you fast forward. Issa is really out here doing the lawd’s work with the BLOCC. She’s hosting book signings and saving the lives of awkward-ass folks who compliment you then stay in your face 2 feet away for 10 seconds too long. Yeah, no.

Nevermind her. Back to Issa and Molly. They fren-friends again! Sleepover and satin bonnet-type friends. We love to see it. Speaking of friendships, Issa and Nathan are friends and clients now. Also, shout out to the Black woman changing her life, changing her hair trope. This is one I love to see. Molly’s cut is sugar sharp (as my momma would say). The rekindling of relationships and self reflection this season is real. It’s good to see my girls on this side of the game together.

Speaking of games…

Molly’s mama stay on some other, don’t she? Herbert-from-church-Herbert is at the cookout sharing his trap gospel tracks. He only there because of Molly’s mama playing matchmaker. No ma’am, mama. Who is pressing you about a wedding? Not Molly. Who is pressing you about dating? Not Molly. Who is pressing play on that gospel trap?! Absolultely nobody. Molly so kind. She let her mama bop to that Tye Tribbet wanna be track and gave ole dude the…

Issa in her power suit giving presentations and folks wanna do what they do when it comes to up-and-coming Black folk- play pause games. Give excuses. Ask for a compromise. Oh, Crenshawn was dope when this was first pitched. He’s from the community and giving back to it, but he’s a risk now? Oh, word? You got too much money on the line and he doesn’t have enough experience? Cool, cool. NBW got new money and a bevy of issues, just like Nathan probably sitting on a bevy of biscuits. Shoot, Herbert got a bevy of dad-pics and he ain’t nobody’s daddy. *wipes brow* Chile, that hairline is giving every bit of born in 1964 and mama texting Molly his pics like he a snack. The dude is an aluminum foil tv dinner at best!

What are you looking for?

It seems like Molly is giving in to mama’s requests a little. She ain’t on the Hebert gospel train, but she’s back on Lead looking for dating prospects. Updating that profile means reflecting on her dating history and well, that ain’t easy. Advocating for your client ain’t easy either, but Issa jumped her NBW’s DMs and set up that breakfast date with the boss. They finally follow her lead, but it comes with a list of “notes” that Crenshawn ain’t feelin. Free men eat snacks on the job and free men create and flex their vision how they want to. It’s a thin line between compromise and selling out. Issa is treading that line tough and Crenshawn ain’t feeling it. After a little persuading, he decides to follow Issa’s lead. Yeah, sometimes you just gotta eat the sandwich, bro.

Not only is Molly reflecting on her dating life, she’s reflecting on her processing and reactions to her parents’ lack of estate planning. Giving your mama a call and saying sorry is not easy, but mama knows that little penciled notepaper wasn’t working. But no matter what she says, Herbert ain’t bringing it to nobody’s beach. Somebody grab some holy water for mama’s burning bush.

Is there a hand sign?

It’s the day of Crenshawn’s runway show and Molly’s fit ate like she was on the catwalk! You better walk into bessfren’s event like “we ova here now!” Quoia still leary of Molly and pulled out the metal detector, though. Protect ya neck, sis. She ain’t forgot about the block party in season 4. Molly ain’t the one with the heat, though. It’s Crenshawn. Forget them notes. He a artist and [fill in Badu quote here]. Compromise is not what got Crenshaw this far and he knows it. Issa is trying to help pave the way for him to reach a bigger audience, but is she doing it right? Regardless, Crenshawn brought the heat and Seth is feeling the fire. The fire got him feeling like it’s time to increase funding and move with Issa on new passion projects. Issa is feeling all kinds of… whatever feelings you feel that make you send that “you up?” text.

While Molly is embracing the change and going on her first date in over a year, Issa is hanging with Nathan at the crib. Emotional as all get out, when he gets ready to dip, Issa hits him with the “spinnanight” eyes. We saw this coming didn’t we? Well, at least I thought we did. What I did not bank on was my good sis crying into dude’s mouth during a kiss. YOOOO! That was the most random outburst ever. You cannot try to get it in when you are full of emotions on a full moon. Nathan was so taken aback. He was a good dude though, he held Issa while she cried. Nathan ain’t stay, but he at least let her fall asleep before he hit her with the…

Honorable Mention(s):

1. Issa Rae has the Midas touch on awkward moments. We’ve seen them each and every season. Hell, awkward is her brand! So, to start this episode with that awkward ass “you saved my life” stare and to end it with a cough in the mouth and a literal closed door is just a chef’s kiss of awkward delight. Nobody does awkward like Issa.
2. Speaking of what Issa does best and things that Insecure is known for… where is my show within the show? I know we’re only two episodes in, but I need this gem. I lived for “Looking for Latoya” last season. Season one had Conjugal Visits. I could’ve lived without the Due North of season two, but Kev’yn did my little 90’s heart glad for season three. Do I hold my breath or what? Please tell me that the final season isn’t saying goodbye to this gem! Molly and Issa had a whole tv night and I couldn’t see the screen. How Sway? Since when? Call Issa. Call Prentice. I need answers.
3. I said it earlier and I’ll say it again. Molly’s fit ATE! That’s it. That’s the emotion and here is the pic. 

Check out BNP’s other review of the show here.

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The post ‘Insecure’ Recap: Growth, Okay?! appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.