The internet has always had a lot of… feelings, shall we say, for Alexander Skarsgård. Just see his roles in the likes of True Blood, The Northman, and darker fare like Pillion and Infinity Pool. And now, Wicker is here to prove that there’s no version of Skarsgård that audiences won’t swoon for (to put it politely), transforming him into the ‘Woven Man’ of Olivia Colman’s dreams, in a British romantic comedy like no other. If you’re thinking that the Woven Man is hot stuff, that’s exactly the point.
“He’s not the monster; he’s the romantic lead,” Wicker co-director Eleanor Wilson tells Empire. “We knew that people would be excited when they got to se him because we knew we had this special thing, but no-one could’ve predicted this response.” In the film – penned by Wilson alongside her co-director Alex Huston Fischer – Olivia Colman’s ostracised fisherwoman requests a local basketmaker (Peter Dinklage) to fashion her a husband, becoming the talk of her medieval village.
The hope is for a film that feels anything but medieval, reflecting the mores of our time too. “The fact that people felt so confident to vocalise their desire for this character – I think [it’s] something that’s more specific to our time now than it would have been ten years ago,” says Huston Fisher. “People are ready for this kind of thing.” Get ready to swoon all over again.
Read Empire’s full Wicker story in the Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew issue – on sale Thursday September 24. Pre-order a copy online here. Wicker comes to UK cinemas from October 30.
