Alexander Skarsgard has added another unorthodox romance to his resume.
The actor — soon to be seen in A24’s BDSM rom-com “Pillion” (playing the dom to Harry Melling’s sub), which bowed in Cannes to critical acclaim — has joined the cast of upcoming feature “Wicker” alongside Olivia Colman. Skarsgard replaces Dev Patel, who was originally attached when the film was first announced in 2023.
Also joining the film are Peter Dinklage and Elizabeth Debicki.
“Wicker,” which has now wrapped, has been directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson from a script they adapted from Ursula Wills-Jones’ short story “The Wicker Husband.” It was shot by Oscar winning cinematographer Lol Crawley (“The Brutalist”).
Billed as a “twisted, unconventional romance,” the story follows Colman as a “smelly, single and perpetually ridiculed” fisherwoman living on the outskirts of a village by the sea. One day, fed up with her stuffy, small-minded neighbors, she commissions the local basketmaker to build her a her a husband the entirely from wicker, with their relationship sparking “outrage, jealousy and chaos.”
Topic Studios and Tango are financing and producing the film with Colman, Ed Sinclair and Tom Carver from South of The River, David Michôd and Brad Zimmerman for Yoki, Inc. and Justin Lothrop and Brent Stiefel for Votiv, who originated and financed development, as well as Andrea Cornwell and Oliver Kassman. UTA Independent Film Group is co-repping U.S. sales with CAA Media Finance. Black Bear is handling international sales.
Fischer and Wilson’s debut feature, the sci-fi comedy “Save Yourselves!,” which they co-wrote and co-directed, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Festival where it was acquired by Bleecker Street.
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The films adds to a busy year for Skarsgard. He was recently seen as the lead in “Murderbot” on Apple TV+, while alongisde “Pillion” (which is yet to have a U.S. release date), he’s also starring in another A24 title, “The Moment,” alongside Charli XCX and Rosanna Arquette.
Topic and Tango have also had full diaries. Alongside “Wicker,” Topic’s recent projects include Michael Angelo Covino’s “Splitsville” with Neon, which bowed in Cannes, Jesse Eisenberg’s Academy Award-winning “A Real Pain” and Sundance documentaries “It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley” and “Folktales,” which were both released in theaters this year.
Tango, meanwhile, premiered three films in Sundance, including Michael Shanks’ “Together” and and Eva Victor’s “Sorry, Baby,” as well as Amalia Ulman’s “Magic Farm.” The company also recently premiered “The History of Sound” in Cannes.
From Variety US