Almost fifty years after its first release, The Wicker Man, Robin Hardy’s legendary horror film, is being adapted into a television series. StudioCanal has sold the rights to adapt the film into a television series to Urban Myth Films (established by Johnny Capps, Julian Murphy, and Howard Overman), who are reportedly developing the series alongside Andy Serkis and Jonathan Cavendish’s production business The Imaginarium. Overman of Urban Myth has penned the script, however, details about the cast and crew have yet to be announced. Writer for Misfits and War of the Worlds who won the BAFTA. Overman has stated that the new series will diverge from the film, but would “explore the same themes of sacrifice, superstition, and ritual that were at the centre.”
The project is still in its early phases of creation, with producers presenting the show to potential broadcasters, but it has received high reviews thus far. Overman’s script has been praised by Urban Myth executive Capps, who says that the writer has “created a bold, shocking and unique series, pulling the themes and terrifying power of the original Wicker Man into a thrilling modern setting,” while Urban Myth producer Cavendish calls the show a “fantastic collaboration.” Production on a new version of “The Wicker Man,” originally released in 1973, has been discussed for years. Written and directed by Neil LaBute, the 2006 adaptation starring Nicolas Cage.
The novel Ritual by David Pinner served as inspiration for both the remake and the original film (1967). After French business StudioCanal bought the rights in 2014, the 2021 television series It’s a Sin’s production company, Red Production Company, expressed interest in a remake. The Wicker Man, Peter Snell’s original horror film from 1973, has achieved legendary status among horror fans.
The film follows Edward Woodward’s Neil Howle, a pious Christian police sergeant, as he travelled to a secluded Hebridean Island to investigate the abduction of a little girl named Rowan (Diane Cilento), with Christopher Lee, Ingrid Pitt, and Britt Ekland also starring (Geraldine Cowper). The residents of Summerisle, who insist the girl never lived, horrify him by engaging in rites honouring the ancient Celtic gods of their ancestors (such as human sacrifice). The show’s debut has not yet been announced. Roku users may stream the 1973 film The Wicker Man.