How the Wicker Man in <em>Wicker</em> Was Built, Piece by Piece

The wicker man at the centre of Wicker took a team of 50 people a full year to build, and that covered only the upper half. The Hollywood Reporter reported on 23 October 2026 that Wētā Workshop made the upper body and face of the suit worn by Alexander Skarsgård.

The lower half came together far more quickly. Costume designers Tóth András Dániel and Attila Godena-Juhász built it in one week, with four people working in the workshop. That section includes the wicker penis.

To make the lower suit look woven, the team used a special printed paint on fabric. Heat makes the print rise into three dimensions. Painters then matched the colour to the upper prosthetics by hand.

The film is based on Ursula Wills-Jones's short story The Wicker Husband. Olivia Colman plays a fisherwoman who commissions a basketmaker, played by Peter Dinklage, to weave her a husband. Skarsgård plays that husband. Elizabeth Debicki also stars. Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer directed.

Nudity was a late decision. Dání el said the wicker man's prosthetic face and upper body were already finished when the directors proposed, one week before the shoot, that the character be seen naked. The lower suit followed from that request.

The result is one brief full-frontal shot. It shows the figure at a distance in the water while Colman's character looks on. The directors chose to give audiences only a peek, according to the same report.

Attention focused on the character well before release. A teaser released in August set off wide discussion on social media, mostly about the wicker figure.

For cinemagoers, the film's theatrical release is set for 23 October. Variety reported in June that Black Bear would release it in theatres on that date. ByTowne Cinema also lists the film as opening on 23 October.

A one-night event follows later in the week. The Hollywood Reporter reported in early October that Wicker will screen in 4DX on 28 October. 4DX is a format that pairs the picture with moving seats, lighting and other physical effects.

For anyone curious about the making of the film, the suit is a useful place to start. It is a reminder that a few seconds on screen can rest on months of work by a workshop of craftspeople, most of whom never appear in the credits.