Justin Hardy, a British film director and son of The Wicker Man’s Robin Hardy, passed away at age 61 following a heart attack. His death occurred approximately three weeks before the scheduled premiere of his latest project, Wrath of the Gods, a sequel to the cult folk-horror classic.
Hardy maintained an extensive career spanning film and television, accumulating 45 directing credits across multiple genres including drama, documentary, and romantic comedy. His work earned recognition within the industry, including a Bafta nomination for The Relief of Belsen, a 2007 television drama centered on the liberation of a concentration camp. More recently, he collaborated with his brother Dominic on Children of the Wicker Man, a 2024 documentary exploring their father’s creation of the original 1973 film and its impact on their family.
Wrath of the Gods represents the completion of a trilogy initiated by Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man and continued with The Wicker Tree in 2011. The film’s story concept emerged from materials discovered in the family’s archives. Shot in Shetland, the production features Norwegian actor Christiane Schaldemose in a narrative involving a woman returning to a North Sea island to bury her husband, only to face suspicion from local residents when children begin disappearing.
Dominic Hardy commented on his brother’s creative approach and aspirations, noting that Justin aimed to use cinema on his own terms and had been considering focusing exclusively on scriptwriting. Wrath of the Gods is scheduled to receive its world premiere at FrightFest, a horror film festival in London, on 28 August.
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