‘Wicker’ New Look Reveals Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård’s Strange Romance Ahead of October Release

Hollywood has never been short on unconventional love stories, but few premises coming out of this year’s festival circuit have generated quite as much buzz as one built entirely around furniture. The concept sounds almost too strange to work on paper: a woman commissions a husband made from woven reeds, and somehow the resulting film has critics calling it one of the most charming surprises of the year.

That film comes from Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, the filmmaking duo behind 2020’s “Save Yourselves!,” who adapted the story from Ursula Wills-Jones’ acclaimed short tale “The Wicker Husband.” After premiering to strong reviews at Sundance back in January, the project has continued building momentum heading toward its wide theatrical release.

That film is ‘Wicker,’ and Entertainment Weekly has released new first-look photos of stars Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård as part of its Fall Movie Preview. The images show the film’s central pair, with Skarsgård’s wicker husband towering over Colman’s character in a candlelit room, offering audiences their clearest look yet at the film’s peculiar central romance.

The story follows an ostracized fisherwoman, played by Colman, who lives on the outskirts of a seaside village and endures constant ridicule from her narrow-minded neighbors over her unkempt appearance and lack of a husband. Fed up with the mockery, she commissions the village basketmaker, played by Peter Dinklage, to construct her the perfect husband entirely out of wicker, setting off a chain of jealousy and social upheaval once her new spouse proves far more remarkable than anyone expected.

Skarsgård replaced Dev Patel in the role after the actor was originally attached when the film was first announced back in 2023, ultimately bringing his own distinct physicality to the fully practical wicker suit created by Wētā Workshop. The role continues Skarsgård’s recent pattern of gravitating toward unconventional romantic parts, following his turn in A24’s BDSM comedy ‘Pillion’ earlier this year.

Colman, meanwhile, has spoken about what initially drew her to the project’s unusual premise. Explaining her decision to take on the role of the fisherwoman, Colman said, “I just really loved the script,” according to Deadline, adding that it ranks among her favorite scripts she’s ever read.

The supporting cast rounds out with Elizabeth Debicki, Richard E. Grant, Marli Siu and Nabhaan Rizwan, giving the film a notably stacked ensemble for what remains, at its core, a small-scale fable about village life and social conformity. Cinematographer Lol Crawley, an Oscar winner for his work on ‘The Brutalist,’ shot the film, lending it a visual polish that critics have praised alongside its central performances.

Early reviews out of Sundance have been notably positive, with critics highlighting the film’s ability to make Skarsgård’s wicker husband feel simultaneously strange and genuinely sympathetic, a balance reviewers have described as a difficult creative feat to pull off successfully. The film has also drawn comparisons online to viral internet humor, with several outlets noting the premise’s uncanny resemblance to jokes that have circulated on social media in recent years.

‘Wicker’ is produced by Topic Studios and Tango Entertainment, with distribution handled by Black Bear Pictures following its Sundance premiere. The film is set for release in the United States on October 23, followed by a United Kingdom release on October 30, giving audiences on both sides of the Atlantic a chance to catch the film’s theatrical run this fall.

With its blend of festival buzz, an accomplished ensemble cast and a premise strange enough to have generated its own share of internet conversation, ‘Wicker’ looks positioned to become one of the more talked-about awards-season curiosities of the year. Whether its unconventional love story translates into broader mainstream success remains to be seen once the film reaches wider audiences.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!