Wicker Opens in Theaters: Colman and Skarsgård Star in a Folk-Tale Romance

"Wicker" began a limited theatrical run in the United States on October 23, 2026, distributed by Black Bear Pictures, with a wider nationwide release scheduled for October 30, according to Wikipedia's entry on the film and a report by The Playlist. The film is set for a UK release on October 30 and an Australian release on November 5 through Roadshow Films, per the same Wikipedia listing.

What the film is about

The story follows an ostracized fisherwoman, played by Olivia Colman, who lives on the fringes of a conservative seaside village and asks a local basket weaver, played by Peter Dinklage, to build her a husband out of wicker. The craftsman brings the figure to life, and the resulting husband, played by Alexander Skarsgård, turns out to be more attentive and devoted than the fisherwoman expected, according to both AV Club's review and The Playlist's trailer coverage. His presence upsets the social order of the village, provoking jealousy among residents including a tailor's wife played by Elizabeth Debicki and a doctor played by Richard E. Grant, per Wikipedia's cast listing.

The screenplay is written and directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson and is adapted from the short story "The Wicker Husband" by Ursula Wills-Jones, according to Wikipedia. The film runs 105 minutes and was produced by Topic Studios, Tango Entertainment, Votiv, Yoki Inc. and South of the River Pictures, per the same source.

Cast and crew

Critical reception

As of the film's wide opening, "Wicker" held a 93% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes based on 80 reviews, though the audience score had fewer than 50 verified ratings at that point. AV Club gave the film a B-, calling it an "odd, affecting fairy tale" that is "darkly funny and surprisingly moving," while noting some of its humor about gender dynamics felt shallow. The review singled out Skarsgård's performance for its "Christopher Walken-like pauses" and said visual effects were used to let light appear to stream through the wicker costume, with close-ups showing off the craft of the costume design.

Slate's culture coverage placed the role within a broader pattern in Skarsgård's filmography, describing his choice to play a character built out of simple declarative sentences who gradually becomes more human as consistent with an actor who has repeatedly opted for unconventional parts rather than conventional leading-man roles.

Background: from Sundance to wide release

"Wicker" premiered at the Eccles Theater in Park City, Utah, on January 24, 2026, as part of the Sundance Film Festival, according to Wikipedia. The Playlist reported that the film premiered to strong reviews and was among what the outlet called the fall's more unusual theatrical offerings.

The film's theatrical rollout — a limited opening followed by a nationwide expansion a week later — is a distribution pattern commonly used by studios for specialty titles aimed at adult audiences rather than blockbuster franchises, consistent with how The Playlist and Wikipedia describe Black Bear Pictures' release plan for the film.