Iconic horror film finally gets complete trilogy after director’s sons finish sequel

When he was making the classic 1973 horror film The Wicker Man, director Robin Hardy always envisioned it as the first part of a trilogy. It took several decades for the second film, The Wicker Tree, to come to fruition, with Hardy ultimately releasing the film in 2011. When the acclaimed director died in 2016, it was believed that the series had come to an end – but now his sons have completed the project, with the third Wicker Man film, Wrath of the Gods, now premiering in London.

Wrath of the Gods is directed by Justin and Dominic Hardy, who discovered a script their father had written for the third Wicker Man film. Although we left it unopened for six months or more.” Justin died of a heart attack earlier this month at the age of 61, with his family describing him as “a man of family, of boundless creativity” who was “so full of life right to the end”. The original Wicker Man starred Edward Woodward as a Christian police detective who investigates a disappearance on a remote Scottish island.

The main villain was played by Christopher Lee, in what became one of his best known roles. While it would eventually come to be regarded as one of the best horror films ever made, The Wicker Man had a turbulent production, beset by funding difficulties; Hardy was left bankrupt after the film was completed. New subscribers only. £9.99/mo. after free trial.

Plan auto-renews until cancelled. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. Justin and Dominic, two of Hardy’s eight children from various relationships, also discovered the origins of Wrath of the Gods in their father’s archive.

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