The announcement of Jeff Goldblum being cast as The Wizard in the forthcoming adaptation of The Grand Budapest Hotel.
His casting as The Wizard in Wicked only solidifies the increasingly star-studded nature of the two-movie production. Based on Stephen Schwartz's hit musical, Wicked reimagines the story of the original The Wizard of Oz from the perspectives of the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda. Directed by Jon M. Chu, it will feature Ariana Grande as Glinda, Cynthia Erivo playing Elphaba, and Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, with the addition of Jeff Goldblum to the cast, only adding further prestige to the production.
Jeff Goldblum's Wicked Casting Repeats His MCU Role
Beyond star power, casting Jeff Goldblum in Wicked makes a lot of sense. This is partly because the characterization he can potentially bring to the role has already been seen in his debut performance in the MCU. Goldblum has long been known for his eccentricity and he brought that fully to his performance as The Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok, and helped make the character a fun, quirky addition to the MCU. More importantly, he was an egomaniacal despot who had built his Empire upon falsehoods that ultimately led to him being humbled by the story’s heroes. In this way, The Grandmaster was similar to Oz’s great and powerful wizard.
Interestingly, it can also be argued that Thor, Loki, and Hulk were analogs of The Wizard of Oz’s Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Lion. This was because like those classic characters each was trying to gain something important that they already had within them. While the Tin Man wanted a heart, Thor was looking for the strength within himself to overcome his sister Hela. At the same time, Loki was not brainless like Scarecrow but also did not use his intelligence in ways that would help him discover the greater truth about himself while Hulk/Bruce Banner spent much of Thor: Ragnarok scared of the possibility of fully being himself
Why Goldblum Is A Perfect Wizard For Wicked
The Wizard is a strange, ostentatious, and mendacious character and the MCU’s Grandmaster certainly offered glimpses of that and more, which is reason enough to be excited by the casting of Goldblum. However, it is worth ing that he is known for the quality of his character work as much as for the eccentricities of his performances. As a result, Goldblum could be the perfect fit for such a complex character. Of course, this may not precisely resemble what he did with The Grandmaster in the divisive Thor: Ragnarok but there are reasons to be optimistic that he will bring something fun and intriguing to Wicked’s Wizard.
