Olivia Colman Orders a Husband Made of Wicker in the Fable Wicker
Behind the Scenes: Cinema: Olivia Colman Orders a Husband Made of Wicker in the Fable WickerWicker, a fairy tale for adults, opens in US cinemas on 23 October. Olivia Colman plays a lonely fisherwoman and Alexander Skarsgård plays her husband, woven from willow. The UK release follows on 30 October, with Black Bear Pictures distributing.
Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson wrote and directed the film, adapting Ursula Wills-Jones’s short story The Wicker Husband. Colman is also one of the producers.
What the film is about
The story is set in a medieval village with a rigid hierarchy. The Fisherwoman, shunned by her neighbours, has no one to marry, so she mockingly commissions the local basket weaver to make her a husband out of wicker. He brings his creation to life, and the sincere romance between the Fisherwoman and her woven husband throws the whole village into chaos.
Who is in it
- Olivia Colman as the Fisherwoman;
- Alexander Skarsgård as the Wicker Husband;
- Peter Dinklage as the Basket Weaver;
- Elizabeth Debicki as the Tailor’s Wife;
- Nabhaan Rizwan as the Tailor;
- Richard E. Grant as the village doctor;
- Marli Siu and Ben Ashenden.
Dev Patel was originally attached to play the wicker husband before the role went to Skarsgård.
Behind the camera
The film was shot in Budapest. The cinematographer is Lol Crawley, the editor is Sofi Marshall and the music is by composer Anna Meredith. Australian director David Michôd is among the producers. The running time is 105 minutes.
What critics say
The film premiered on 24 January at the Sundance Film Festival. Screen Daily called it a charming love story in which Colman and Skarsgård are made for each other, and Collider described an absurd fantasy with a surprising spark between the leads. The Wrap was harsher, calling the fable well-intentioned but wooden. On Rotten Tomatoes 91% of 23 reviews are positive, and the Metacritic score is 70 out of 100.
When to watch
Wicker opens in the US on 23 October, in the UK on 30 October and in Australia on 5 November. Cast and stills are on the film’s page in our AMDB database.
Share
Author: Alexander Shaida, Editor-in-chief
Publication date: 04 October 2026
Views: 17
About us and our editorial policy
Comments
Other materials in this section
The story of French teenagers in Italy won the Critics’ Week Grand Prize at Cannes and scores 98 on Metacritic. It opens in France on 21 October.
Jenna Ortega plays an android companion to a sick girl and Amy Adams plays the girl’s mother. The film premieres in London and opens in the US on 23 October.
In Animals, Affleck plays a politician with only hours to raise a ransom. Kerry Washington co-stars, and the film arrives on Netflix on 9 October.
Jennifer Peedom’s biopic with Genden Phuntsok, Tom Hiddleston and Willem Dafoe opens in theatres on 9 October and on Apple TV a week later.
YouTuber Curry Barker shot Obsession in 26 days, and the rights sold for the highest price a genre film has fetched in Toronto.
The Barbarian and Weapons director made an original story set on the night Raccoon City fell. It is now the best-reviewed video game movie ever and broke the franchise’s opening record.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
