Watch the Official Wicker Trailer
The Wicker trailer is officially out, giving the first full look at Black Bear’s Sundance breakout ahead of its October theatrical release. Olivia Colman and Alexander Skarsgård lead the fantasy comedy, which turned heads at this year’s festival for its inventive premise and a genuinely handcrafted lead performance built by Weta Workshop rather than a computer.
Here’s what the trailer reveals, who’s in the cast, and how Wicker made its way from a Sundance standing ovation to an October wide release.
What Wicker Is About
Wicker follows an ostracized fisherwoman, played by Colman, living on the edge of a small, feudal-style village. Unable to find companionship among her neighbors, she commissions the local basketmaker, played by Peter Dinklage, to weave her a husband out of wicker. The trailer shows her wish granted in stranger fashion than she expected: the finished husband, played by Skarsgård, comes to life, and his devotion to her quickly draws attention, and jealousy, from the rest of the village. The film is based on Ursula Wills-Jones’s short story “The Wicker Husband,” adapted for the screen by co-directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson.
The Cast of Wicker
Olivia Colman stars as the fisherwoman at the center of the story, opposite Alexander Skarsgård as her wicker husband and Peter Dinklage as the basketmaker who creates him. Elizabeth Debicki also stars, alongside Marli Siu, Nabhaan Rizwan, Ella Bruccoleri, Richard E. Grant, and Kiell Smith-Bynoe rounding out the village ensemble.
Olivia Colman, who stars in the Wicker trailer as the fisherwoman who commissions a wicker husband. Photo: Raph_PH via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
How Weta Workshop Brought the Wicker Husband to Life
One of the trailer’s most talked-about details is how little of Skarsgård’s transformation relies on visual effects. Weta Workshop built the character as a largely practical costume: a three-layer construction starting with a 3D-printed prosthetic shell shaped to Skarsgård’s own body, with genuine hand-applied wicker weaving layered over the top, and only minimal digital compositing used to make the character read as hollow through the gaps in the weave. That approach puts Wicker in the same tradition as other recent films built around elaborate practical creature and costume work, rather than leaning on a fully CG character for its central performance.
Coverage of the film’s production has credited Weta Workshop’s Joe Dunckley with leading that build, a process that reportedly required extensive fitting work to make sure the woven shell moved naturally with Skarsgård’s own performance rather than restricting it. The result is a costume built for an actor to physically perform in on set, rather than a character assembled afterward in post-production, which is part of why the trailer’s practical-effects angle has become one of the most talked-about details of the film’s marketing so far.
Sundance Reception and Release Date
Wicker premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2026, where it reportedly earned a standing ovation and strong early reviews, helping drive Black Bear’s acquisition of the film. Black Bear will release Wicker in select theaters on October 23, 2026, before expanding it to a wide theatrical release on October 30.
The Short Story Behind Wicker
Wicker is adapted from “The Wicker Husband,” a short story by British author Ursula Wills-Jones. Co-directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, working together as a filmmaking duo, took on the adaptation, translating the story’s folk-tale premise into a full-length fantasy comedy without losing the small-village setting that grounds its central, stranger-than-life idea. That kind of literary source material, rather than an existing franchise or IP, is part of what set Wicker apart on the festival circuit in the first place, giving it an original premise in a release calendar otherwise dominated by sequels and established properties.
What Fans Should Expect
Between its Sundance reception, its starry ensemble cast, and the craftsmanship behind its central practical effect, Wicker is shaping up as one of the more distinctive theatrical releases of the fall season. Expect more press coverage, additional clips, and cast interviews to roll out as the October release date approaches, particularly around the film’s practical-effects work, which has already become one of its most-discussed selling points. For more upcoming releases worth tracking, check our breakdown of the Outer Banks Season 5 trailer, and for another recent trailer drop, see our coverage of the Jumanji: Open World trailer.
FAQ: Wicker
When does Wicker release in theaters?
Wicker opens in select theaters on October 23, 2026, before expanding wide on October 30.
Who stars in Wicker?
Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, and Peter Dinklage lead the cast, alongside Elizabeth Debicki, Marli Siu, Nabhaan Rizwan, Ella Bruccoleri, Richard E. Grant, and Kiell Smith-Bynoe.
Is the Wicker Husband a practical effect or CGI?
It’s largely practical. Weta Workshop built the character using a 3D-printed prosthetic shell covered in genuine hand-applied wicker weaving, with only minimal digital compositing used to complete the effect.
More on the film via Variety, Deadline, and Collider.
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