The long-awaited final chapter of The Wicker Man trilogy has finally been completed, decades after director Robin Hardy first imagined the three-part story.Hardy, who directed the iconic 1973 folk horror film, released The Wicker Tree in 2011 as the second part of the trilogy.
However, his plans for the final movie remained unfinished after his death in 2016 at the age of 86.Now, his sons Justin and Dominic Hardy have helped bring their father’s vision to the screen with Wrath of the Gods, which is set to premiere at the FrightFest horror festival in London.
The project became possible after the family discovered a remarkable collection of their father’s work in an attic.The person who purchased Justin’s former family home reportedly found six sacks filled with letters, scripts, storyboards and other material connected to Robin Hardy and The Wicker Man.
Dominic, an art historian based in Montreal, said the family initially left the material untouched for several months before eventually deciding to explore the collection.Among the discoveries was the long-lost script for Wrath of the Gods, along with documents explaining how Robin Hardy developed the idea.According to Dominic, the idea came to his father after he experienced a health scare during a flight.
He was forced to land in Reykjavik and spend time recovering before returning home with the concept of a theme park built around an extinct Icelandic volcano, where the Norse gods become angered and chaos follows.
The story was eventually moved to Shetland to connect it with the mythology and themes running through the trilogy.Justin and Dominic then developed their own version of the story while staying true to their father’s original concept.The new film follows a grieving woman who returns to the fictional island of Hel to bury her late husband. She is rejected by the island community, which views her as a source of bad luck. When children begin disappearing, the community is forced to confront its troubled past.
Filming began in Shetland in spring 2025, with much of the supporting cast made up of local actors.For many of those involved, being part of the project was a special experience because of the cultural impact of The Wicker Man.Lynsey Rendall, who plays Maeve, said joining the film was a huge honour because of the original movie’s lasting influence.
Actor John Haswell, who plays Reverend Knox, also described the production as one of the highlights of his career.The filming was not always easy. One scene that was supposed to take place during a storm had to be created on an unusually sunny day. The production team had to darken the windows and use hoses and equipment to recreate the wind and rain.For 17-year-old Martha Robertson, who was completing her school examinations while filming, the experience became an important step toward pursuing acting.
However, the premiere has been overshadowed by the sudden death of Justin Hardy, who died at the age of 61 shortly before the film’s debut.Members of the cast and crew had been looking forward to celebrating the finished movie with him. Instead, the premiere has become both a celebration of the film and a tribute to Justin.For those who worked with him, completing the project is particularly emotional because Justin had invested so much into bringing his father’s unfinished vision to life.
The film also carries a special meaning for the Hardy family because it honours Robin Hardy and Justin’s mother, Caroline, who secretly served as an uncredited executive producer on the original The Wicker Man.Caroline died in 1984 at the age of 51, before seeing how beloved and influential the film would eventually become.With Wrath of the Gods, Robin Hardy’s original trilogy has finally reached its conclusion.
For his family, the film represents not only the completion of a decades-old creative dream but also a lasting tribute to the members of the Hardy family who helped make it possible.
