According to Deadline, acclaimed actors Olivia Colman (The Favourite) and Dev Patel (Lion) have officially been tapped for the leading roles in the upcoming film adaptation of Wicker, based on Ursula Wills-Jones short story The Wicker Husband.
This year, the Oscar-winning actress has appeared in high-profile shows including Disney+’s Secret Invasion and FX’s The Bear Season 2. Colman will next be seen in two more highly-anticipated projects including the Wonka musical prequel and Paddington in Peru. Meanwhile, Patel most recently starred in Netflix’s The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar. He is also making his feature directorial debut with the upcoming action thriller Monkey Man, which he also co-wrote and produced.
What is Wicker?
Wicker will be written and directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson. Colman will be portraying a “smelly Fisherwoman,” who ignites outrage among the people in her conservative town after finding herself in an unconventional romance with Patel’s character. Production is expected to begin next year in Europe.
“On the outskirts of a village by the sea, lives a Fisherwoman; smelly, single and perpetually ridiculed,” reads the synopsis. “One day, fed up with her stuffy, small-minded neighbors, she commissions herself a husband to be made from wicker. In an otherwise conservative town, this unconventional romance sparks outrage, jealousy and chaos.”
The film is produced by Colman, Ed Sinclair, Tom Carver, David Michôd, Brad Zimmerman, Justin Lothrop and Brent Stiefel. It is a production by Topic Studios and Tango, who are also financing the project.
