Alexander Skarsgard has joined the cast of Wicker alongside Olivia Colman. He replaces Dev Patel, who was originally attached to the project in 2023, when it was first announced. Peter Dinklage and Elizabeth Debicki also join the film. Wicker is directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson from a script adapted from Ursula Wills-Jones’ short story, The Wicker Husband. It was shot by Oscar-winning cinematographer Lol Crawley, who did The Brutalist.

Deemed as a “twisted, unconventional romance,” the story centers around Colman, who is “a smelly, single, and perpetually ridiculed” fisherwoman living on the fringes of a village by the sea. One day, after being fed up with her neighbors, she commissions her local basketmaker to build her a husband, completely from wicker. Their relationship brings “outrage, jealousy and chaos.”

Topic Studios and Tango are producing and financing the film with Colman, Ed Sinclair and Tom Carver from South of The River, David Michôd and Brad Zimmerman for Yoki, Inc., Brent Stiefel for Votiv 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, while Black Bear is handling international sales.

Fischer and Wilson’s debut feature, a sci-fi comedy titled Save Yourselves!, which they co-wrote and co-directed, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Festival and was acquired by Bleecker Street.

This film is another one added to Skarsgard’s busy year. He was recently the lead in the Apple TV+ series Murderbot and is soon to be seen in A24’s rom-com Pillion. He is also starring in another A24 feature, The Moment, alongside Charli xcx and Rosanna Arquette.

Topic and Tango have also had a busy roster. In addition to Wicker, Topic’s recent projects include Michael Angelo Covino’s Splitsville with Neon, Jesse Eisenberg’s Oscar-winning film, A Real Pain, plus Sundance documentaries It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley and Folktales, both of which were released in theaters this year.

Tango premiered three films in Sundance, including Michael Shanks’ Together, Eva Victor’s Sorry, Baby and Amalia Ulman’s Magic Farm. The company also recently premiered The History of Sound in Cannes.