Robin Hardy, director of the 1973 cult classic The Wicker Man, conceived the film as the first installment of a trilogy. He released The Wicker Tree in 2011 as a second chapter, but his death in 2016 left the project unfinished. His sons Justin and Dominic have now brought the trilogy to completion after discovering a script for Wrath of the Gods among archived materials found in the attic of Justin’s former family home.
The discovery occurred when new owners of the property uncovered six sacks containing letters, scripts, storyboards and other materials related to Robin Hardy and The Wicker Man. Among these findings was the original script for the third film, along with documentation of how the director conceived the idea. According to Dominic Hardy, an art historian, their father developed the concept following a health incident during air travel that forced a landing in Reykjavik. Hardy sketched out a narrative involving a theme park near an extinct volcano in Iceland, which the brothers later adapted and set in Shetland to align with the trilogy’s geographic continuity.
Justin and Dominic Hardy worked together to craft an original story for Wrath of the Gods, centered on a grieving widow who returns to the island of Hel to bury her deceased husband. Rejected by the local community, she becomes a focal point of suspicion when children begin disappearing, forcing residents to confront the island’s troubled past. Filming took place in Shetland beginning in spring 2025, with the lead roles filled by actors Francis Magee and Christiane Schaldemose, alongside locally cast supporting performers.
The project has taken on additional significance following the sudden death of Justin Hardy last month at age 61. Members of the Shetland cast and crew, including actors and production staff who participated in filming, plan to attend the premiere at FrightFest in London on Friday. Participants have described the experience as both celebratory of the completed film and reflective of Justin Hardy’s contributions to the project.
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