Andy Serkis Is Co-Producing A TV Series Adaptation Of The Wicker Man
Get ready to praise the Wicker Man again, because the terrifying 1973 film is coming to television. A series adaptation is currently being pitched to broadcasters across the United Kingdom, according to Deadline. Actor and director Andy Serkis will help bring the show to life as a producer alongside Jonathan Cavendish through their Imaginarium production company. Howard Overman, who created the BAFTA-winning series "Misfits," will serve as the series writer.
"[Overman has] created a bold, shocking, and unique series," wrote Cavendish in a statement, "pulling the themes and terrifying power of the original Wicker Man into a thrilling modern setting."
Details on what will remain and what will be changed for this adaptation are being kept under wraps. However, Overman teased that this modern-day version will still "explore the same themes of sacrifice, superstition, and ritual that were at [the original movie's] core."
Time to keep your appointment
Serkis's involvement is intriguing. The Imaginarium is a production company that has its own performance-capture studio in London, with movies such as "The Ritual" and "Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle" being filmed there. What is curious about this is that the original "Wicker Man" does not have any elements — at least on the surface — which would theoretically require motion capture technology.
There is, of course, a strong chance that this series will not actually utilize The Imaginarium's production studio. However, visualizing more fantastical elements would be an interesting way to update "The Wicker Man" for modern times. After all, the proposed sequel "The Loathsome Lambton Worm," by original screenwriter Anthony Shaffer, was going to include a scene involving a dragon fight. All I'm saying is that the possibility of dragons in this series is low, but not improbable.
Largely considered to be one of the most influential horror films of all time, it's about time "The Wicker Man" got a proper modernization. A movie remake was released in 2006 to now infamous results, but that version was far too American and hokey for it to really count as a faithful reinterpretation. Thanks to its heavy usage of Celtic pagan traditions and beliefs, it is hard to imagine the story being told anywhere besides the United Kingdom. Sure, "Midsommar" was fun when it was released, but it's time to bring folk horror back to where the sub-genre as we know it arguably began.