The first official trailer for Wicker turns a simple question into a very strange love story: what if the perfect husband could be ordered from a basketmaker? Olivia Colman plays the woman who tries it, while Alexander Skarsgård becomes the man woven for her.

The movie has started drawing attention because the trailer shows a medieval-looking village, sharp adult comedy, romance, and a handmade leading man who is both charming and unsettling. Here is the spoiler-free guide to the cast, story, release plan, and the question many viewers asked as soon as they saw the title.

Wicker movie: the quick answer

Wicker is an adult romantic fantasy and comedic fable, not a new version of The Wicker Man. The story follows an isolated fisherwoman who pays a basketmaker to create a husband from wicker. The unusual marriage makes the rest of her village jealous and furious.

The film stars Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Peter Dinklage, and Elizabeth Debicki. It opens in limited US theaters on October 23, 2026, expands nationwide on October 30, and reaches UK and Irish cinemas on October 30.

Black Bear UK released the official Wicker trailer on July 30, 2026. The video quickly pulled in a large audience, while the trailer and poster spread through movie communities on Reddit. Google searches for “Wicker movie” rose with them.

Part of the curiosity comes from the title. Some viewers expected horror or a connection to The Wicker Man. Others were surprised by the sight of Skarsgård covered in woven material and playing the romantic lead opposite Colman. The trailer makes the real pitch clearer: this is a funny, sensual, and odd fairy tale about people who become angry when an outsider finds happiness on her own terms.

What is Wicker about?

Colman plays the Fisherwoman, an unmarried woman who lives near a small coastal village. Her neighbors mock her smell, appearance, work, and lack of a husband. Instead of accepting the life they expect her to have, she visits the local Basketmaker, played by Dinklage, and asks him to weave a husband for her.

The Basketmaker completes the job, and the creation is no empty decoration. Skarsgård’s Wicker Husband walks, speaks, thinks, and treats the Fisherwoman with real affection. He also attracts plenty of attention from the people who rejected her.

Their relationship upsets the village’s social order. Curiosity turns into gossip, desire, and jealousy. The official synopsis promises chaos, but the trailer avoids revealing how far the conflict goes or how the couple’s story ends.

The central characters are identified by their roles rather than ordinary names. That choice helps the movie feel like a folk tale passed down over generations, even when its jokes and ideas feel very modern.

Is Wicker connected to The Wicker Man?

No. Wicker is not a sequel, prequel, remake, or spin-off of The Wicker Man. The similar title and rural setting make the confusion understandable, but the projects come from different stories.

The 1973 film The Wicker Man is a folk-horror story about a police investigation on a remote island. The new Wicker movie is adapted from Ursula Wills-Jones’s short story “The Wicker Husband.” Its handmade man is a romantic partner, not the giant structure from the older horror film.

Is Wicker a horror movie?

Wicker has eerie images, village folklore, and a human figure made from woven branches, but it is not being marketed mainly as horror. Black Bear calls it a comedic fable, while Sundance described it as an adult fairy tale that moves between comedy, romance, tragedy, and the uncanny.

The trailer includes sexual humor and a playful tone, so it does not look like a family fairy tale. It appears to use fantasy to examine loneliness, marriage, desire, conformity, and the way a community treats a woman who refuses to stay in her assigned place.

Who is in the Wicker cast?

  • Olivia Colman — the Fisherwoman. She is the village outsider who commissions a husband after years of ridicule.
  • Alexander Skarsgård — the Wicker Husband. He plays the living creation who becomes her devoted partner and the center of the village’s attention.
  • Peter Dinklage — the Basketmaker. He is the craftsman asked to turn an impossible request into a real person.
  • Elizabeth Debicki. Black Bear lists Debicki among the main cast, although the official public synopsis has not named her character.
  • Marli Siu and Nabhaan Rizwan. Both appear in the wider ensemble announced for the film.

Who directed Wicker?

Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson wrote and directed the film together. The married filmmaking team previously made the science-fiction comedy Save Yourselves!, which premiered at Sundance in 2020.

For Wicker, they adapted Wills-Jones’s short story and built an intentionally loose, old-world setting. The costumes, buildings, and village customs suggest the past without tying the story to one precise year or country.

Is Wicker based on a book?

It is based on “The Wicker Husband,” a short story by Ursula Wills-Jones. It is not an adaptation of a full novel. The source story already contains the core idea of a mocked woman ordering a woven husband and provoking the jealousy of her neighbors.

The movie expands that compact premise into a 105-minute feature. It keeps the fable structure while giving the relationship, village, and supporting characters more room.

When is the Wicker movie release date?

Black Bear’s current US release plan has two stages:

  • October 23, 2026 — limited US theatrical release.
  • October 30, 2026 — nationwide US expansion.
  • October 30, 2026 — UK and Ireland theatrical release.

The official Wicker page currently promotes the October 23 opening. No streaming service or digital release date has been announced, so theaters are the only confirmed way to watch it at launch.

The Wicker movie page collects the confirmed release information and official trailer in one place.

How long is Wicker?

The Sundance program listed Wicker at 105 minutes, or 1 hour and 45 minutes. That is the festival runtime; theatrical listings can still be updated before release.

What does the Wicker trailer reveal?

The trailer begins with the Fisherwoman being treated as a problem by the village. She takes that frustration to the Basketmaker and requests a husband who is strong, handsome, and suited to her. When the completed Wicker Husband arrives, the impossible request becomes a very public romance.

Several scenes play the concept for comedy. The villagers stare at the couple, the Basketmaker seems pleased with his work, and Colman’s character enjoys the attention and affection she had been denied. Other moments hint that the mood will become darker as jealousy spreads.

Most importantly, the trailer explains the premise without giving away the final conflict. It shows why the village is disturbed by the couple, but it does not reveal whether their marriage survives the backlash.

Is Alexander Skarsgård’s Wicker Husband practical or CGI?

The woven character was built as a practical suit, not created only through computer effects. According to Black Bear’s release announcement, Joe Dunckley and Weta Workshop made the Wicker Husband suit.

That physical costume is a big part of the trailer’s appeal. Skarsgård still has to communicate warmth, confidence, and humor while his face and body are covered by rigid woven material. The result looks handmade because much of it really was.

What was the early response at Sundance?

Wicker premiered at the sold-out Eccles Theatre during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on January 24. The Sundance Institute’s coverage focused on its adult fairy-tale world, social satire, and unusual view of marriage.

The festival appearance created early buzz months before the public trailer. That does not guarantee every viewer will enjoy its very specific mix of comedy, sex, fantasy, and melancholy, but it shows that the film’s strange premise can work as more than a one-joke idea.

What makes Wicker worth watching?

The cast is the easiest reason to be curious. Colman can move from awkward comedy to pain in the same scene, Dinklage fits the role of a knowing fairy-tale craftsman, and Skarsgård appears fully committed to being both ridiculous and sincere inside the woven suit.

The larger hook is originality. Wicker is not built around a superhero, sequel, shared universe, or remake. Its story is easy to explain in one sentence, but the trailer leaves room for bigger questions about who gets to define a respectable relationship and why other people’s happiness can feel threatening.

Wicker movie FAQ

Who plays the wicker man in Wicker?

Alexander Skarsgård plays the living Wicker Husband created for Olivia Colman’s Fisherwoman.

Who plays the basketmaker?

Peter Dinklage plays the Basketmaker who accepts the Fisherwoman’s unusual commission.

Does Wicker have a trailer?

Yes. Black Bear UK released the first official trailer on July 30, 2026. It is available on the distributor’s verified YouTube channel.

Is Wicker a remake?

No. It is a new adaptation of the short story “The Wicker Husband,” not a remake of The Wicker Man or another earlier film.

Will Wicker be on Netflix?

No streaming home has been announced. Black Bear has only confirmed a theatrical release for October 2026.

The bottom line

Wicker is a strange adult romance with a clear, memorable idea: a woman rejected by her village has a better husband made for herself. The official trailer sells that idea through an excellent cast, practical creature work, dry comedy, and just enough darkness to keep the ending uncertain.

For now, the safest description is a romantic fantasy and comedic fable with folk-horror texture, but no connection to The Wicker Man. Its limited US run begins October 23 before expanding nationwide on October 30.