Last week, Universal Pictures announced that Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo will star in a movie version of the musical Wicked. For fans of cinematic adaptations of popular Broadway musicals, this was exciting news. However, many soon realized a terrifying specter hung over the project: James Corden.

The world maintains a tenuous coexistence with Corden, as the late-night talk show host seems to be simultaneously one of the most reviled yet inexplicably popular celebrities. He's become something a staple of movie musicals, appearing in Into The Woods, Cats and recently, Cinderella, much to the dismay of his numerous haters.

Though Corden has not been officially cast in the upcoming Wicked movie, many on the internet are keen on making sure that doesn't change. A Change.org petition, simply titled Keep James Corden out of Wicked the movie, appeared over the weekend and quickly netted tens of thousands of signatures. At the time of writing, over 35,000 people have signed so far.

I’ve never signed a petition so quickly in my life pic.twitter.com/vLxxD3gG1n

— jack rem x (@jackremmington) November 7, 2021

if you’re voting, STAY IN LINE!!! https://t.co/cJSvxUUaH9

— griff (@abbasolutelyy) November 7, 2021

me creating new email accounts to sign the “keep james corden out of wicked” petition pic.twitter.com/QPTEu2yjuc

— wiLL (@willfulchaos) November 8, 2021

Ok but I need James Corden to stay at least 500 feet away from this project at all times https://t.co/MZ04Ylq4u2

— Sam Stryker (@sbstryker) November 5, 2021

It may already be too late for the Wicked-enjoying masses, however. Broadway actor JJ Nieman posted a rumor that Corden had already been cast as Dr. Dillamond in the film.

@jjniemann

😁😁🤐 ##wicked ##wickedmovie ##jamescorden ##arianagrande ##musical ##musicaltheatre ##movie ##theatrekid ##casting ##JustDanceWithCamila

♬ original sound – JJ Niemann