Full Breakdown
Robin Hardy’s “Wicker Man” Trilogy Completed with “Wrath of the Gods” Premiere
8/23/2026, 8:52:00 PM
Completion of the Trilogy
Robin Hardy’s 1973 folk-horror film *The Wicker Man* was always intended as the first part of a three-film series. After the long-delayed sequel *The Wicker Tree* appeared in 2011, Hardy’s death in 2016 left the project unfinished. His sons, Justin and Dominic Hardy, have now realized the final installment, *Wrath of the Gods*, which will debut at FrightFest in London on Friday.
Background and Earlier Films
*The Wicker Man* introduced a Christian police detective (played by Edward Woodward) who investigates a disappearance on a remote Scottish island, with Christopher Lee as the charismatic antagonist. Production was troubled by financing problems, and Hardy declared bankruptcy after the film’s release. Decades later, *The Wicker Tree* fulfilled the director’s original plan for a second chapter, arriving in 2011.
Discovery of Lost Archive and Production
The third film’s script emerged from a cache of family material discovered in the attic of the house Justin once owned. Justin initially wanted to destroy the items, but the brothers ultimately used the script to shape *Wrath of the Gods*.
The story draws on a concept Hardy conceived after a health scare on an airplane, when his heart medication failed and he spent a week recuperating in Reykjavík. He later imagined a theme park set around an extinct Icelandic volcano, before deciding to locate the narrative in Shetland for the trilogy’s conclusion.
Premiere, Cast and Recent Losses
Filmed on location in Shetland, the movie stars Francis Magee (known from *Game of Thrones*) and Norwegian actress Christiane Schaldemose.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The person who bought Justin's old family home said they'd discovered six sacks of letters, scripts and other material pertaining to Robin Hardy and The Wicker Man in the attic,” — Dominic
- “He had had been in an airplane and had a turn because his heart medication wasn't working,” — Dominic
