Olivia Colman says her new film ‘Wicker’ swings from “very silly to really heartbreaking,” and she thinks it pulls off that tricky leap because everything was played for real. She and co-stars Alexander Skarsgård and Elizabeth Debicki sat down with Variety to talk about the movie. Skarsgård was quick to set expectations: this is “not just a slapstick or sex comedy.”
What happened
Variety published a joint interview with all three stars on October 25, 2026. The conversation took place at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, which is about as glamorous a backdrop as a film about a man made of wicker could hope for.
The stars were clearly delighted to talk about it. Colman explained how the film’s tone works, telling Variety, “It can be hard to go from very silly to really heartbreaking, but because it was all done with realism, it worked better.”
Skarsgård made a similar point, and he sounded pretty confident about the twists. “It’s not just a slapstick or sex comedy,” he told Variety. “They did an amazing job with this, and I hope and think and believe that people will go on this journey, be excited with all the twists and turns.”
Debicki, meanwhile, went straight for the emotional core. “It’s such a beautiful examination of the idea that loving someone is really looking in a mirror of yourself,” she said, per Variety.
So what exactly is ‘Wicker’?
Fair question. According to Variety, ‘Wicker’ is directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson and is based on Ursula Wills-Jones’s short story ‘The Wicker Husband.’ The 2008 story gives the movie its central, wonderfully odd premise: a husband made of wicker. Peter Dinklage also stars as the basket weaver who builds him.
The film is a romantic fantasy comedy, which explains how it can be goofy one minute and devastating the next. Debicki plays the Tailor’s Wife, The Hollywood Reporter reported. Colman isn’t only in front of the camera, either. Deadline reported that she is also a producer on the film, so her enthusiasm comes with some real investment behind it.
The production details are serious stuff. Variety reported that the film was shot by Oscar-winning cinematographer Lol Crawley, known for ‘The Brutalist,’ and that principal photography wrapped in Budapest.
The wicker transformation
Now for the part everyone wants to picture. IndieWire published a behind-the-scenes feature on Skarsgård’s wicker costume transformation, which was created with WETA Workshop. Yes, that WETA Workshop.
Seeing the finished look in person was clearly a moment for the cast. Debicki told Variety about running into Skarsgård in full costume for the first time, and her reaction is very relatable.
“I turned the corner, and I was like, ‘Hi, Alex!’ and I went bright red because my brain couldn’t compute what it was seeing,” she said. “I was just like ‘Oh my God! Welcome to Budapest, I guess.'”
Honestly, same. Nobody’s brain is ready for a wicker Skarsgård.
Colman remembered that moment as a huge relief. “It was amazing because we’d all been looking at images for 18 months or so, and then to see it in the flesh, it was amazing,” she told Variety. “That [feeling] of, ‘Oh my god, it’s going to work!'”
A year and a half of staring at concept art, and then the real thing walks around the corner. You can see why she was thrilled.
The road to the big screen
‘Wicker’ has had quite a journey. When the project was first announced in 2023, Dev Patel was attached, Variety reported. Skarsgård later replaced him in the role.
The film then premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2026, in the Premieres section, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It clearly made an impression. Variety reported that Black Bear acquired ‘Wicker’ for $2.5 million after its Sundance debut and is distributing it theatrically. The film also screened at the 70th BFI London Film Festival in October 2026, the same month it opened in U.S. theaters.
Why the A-listers are so into it
Put it all together and the excitement makes sense. You have a fairy-tale premise with real emotional weight, a costume built by one of the most famous effects shops in the business, an Oscar-winning cinematographer, and a cast that seems genuinely charmed by the whole thing.
Colman put her producer hat on for this one, and Skarsgård is promising “twists and turns.” Debicki sees it as a story about love and self-reflection. Then there’s the sheer delight of watching a beloved actor walk around Budapest made of woven reeds.
It’s the kind of project that sounds ridiculous on paper and then, if the stars are right, sneaks up on you and breaks your heart. Bring tissues. Maybe also a sense of humor.
