Last updated: August 7, 2026
In an age of swipe-right romance and carefully curated partners, a quiet short story from 2008 keeps finding new life. Ursula Wills-Jones’ “The Wicker Husband” tells of a lonely fisherwoman who commissions a man woven from willow and watches him become everything the village cannot offer. What began as a sharp folk fable has grown into a stage musical and, now, the highly anticipated film Wicker. With its official trailer still fresh and theatres preparing for an October release, the tale feels more relevant than ever.
Table of Contents
The Original Short Story That Started It All
Wills-Jones set her story in a small fishing village where an unnamed “ugly girl” lives on the margins. Shunned for her appearance and the persistent smell of fish, she saves her earnings and approaches the reclusive basket-weaver with a radical request: weave her a husband—tall, strong, handsome, and kind.
The finished figure comes alive with quiet devotion. He mends her cottage, helps with her work, speaks only truth, and loves without condition. Their wedding draws curious villagers. What follows is sharp social comedy rather than horror. The perfect husband exposes every ordinary marriage as transactional and cold. Jealousy spreads. The story explores isolation, the destructive power of envy, and the thin line between the artificial and the human, blending fairy-tale logic with pointed social observation.
From Page to Stage: The Musical Adaptation
In 2020 the story found new energy at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury as a folk musical. The production kept the core plot but sharpened the ending and placed a striking six-foot puppet at the centre as the wicker husband. Flowers grew from his weave; his presence mixed childlike devotion with romantic intensity. Live musicians, strong ballads, and a menagerie of smaller wicker creatures gave the evening a lively, communal feel. Critics noted its echoes of tribal conformity and the demonising of outsiders—themes that felt especially sharp at the time. A return engagement in 2022 confirmed the show’s staying power.
Wicker: The 2026 Film Bringing the Tale to Life
Directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson have expanded the short story into a full romantic fantasy comedy. Olivia Colman plays the ostracised fisherwoman with characteristic grit and vulnerability. Alexander Skarsgård appears almost entirely covered in woven willow as the devoted husband. Peter Dinklage is the enigmatic basket weaver, and Elizabeth Debicki rounds out the main ensemble as the tailor’s wife.
The film premiered at Sundance in January 2026 to warm reviews that praised its mix of bawdy humour, genuine tenderness, and sly commentary on marriage and belonging. Principal photography wrapped in Budapest in 2025. Wētā Workshop created the near-physical wicker suit using a three-layer process of 3D-printed understructure, real woven material, and subtle digital touches so light could pass through the hollow form. The result looks tactile and strangely sensual.
Wicker opens in select U.S. cinemas on 23 October 2026 and expands nationwide on 30 October. The trailer released on 30 July has already sparked lively conversation about its unusual romance and striking visual design.
Themes That Still Resonate Today
At its heart the story asks simple but lasting questions:
- What happens when someone finally receives unconditional care?
- How does a community react when one of its outcasts finds genuine happiness?
- Can an artificial creation reveal more truth than flesh-and-blood relationships?
These ideas travel easily from a medieval-feeling village to modern discussions of loneliness, beauty standards, and the search for connection. The wicker husband’s honesty and usefulness make the villagers’ own compromises painfully clear. That discomfort is part of the story’s quiet power.
Key Facts at a Glance
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Original Story | 2008 short story by Ursula Wills-Jones |
| Setting | Isolated fishing village |
| Stage Adaptation | 2020 folk musical, Watermill Theatre |
| Film Title | Wicker (2026) |
| Lead Cast | Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Peter Dinklage, Elizabeth Debicki |
| Theatrical Release | 23 October 2026 (limited), 30 October (wide) |
| Effects | Wētā Workshop practical suit |
Conclusion
“The Wicker Husband” has travelled from a concise literary fable to a lively stage show and now a major cinematic release without losing its essential strangeness or heart. In 2026, with Wicker approaching theatres and conversations still swirling around Skarsgård’s woven transformation, the story continues to invite the same question it posed nearly two decades ago: what kind of love would we actually choose if we could design it ourselves? The answer, it seems, remains as compelling—and as complicated—as ever.