The Wicker Tree. He is returning. January 27, 2012.

The Wicker Tree is directed and written by Robin Hardy, the British filmmaker responsible for the original 1973 film, The Wicker Man. Whilst The Wicker Tree contains parallels with The Wicker Man and is part of The Wicker Man Trilogy, it is not a sequel and not a remake, rather it is a companion film exploring the same themes as the original film. The Wicker Tree is the second part of The Wicker Man Trilogy. The film premiered at the Fantasia Festival in Montreal, Canada, July 2011 and was released on BluRay in the UK on April 30, 2012.

The Wicker Tree was shot from July 2009 after several hiccups. Originally shooting was supposed to commence in September, 2007, but due to financial reasons filming was put on hiatus. In April 2008 filming was announced, shooting in Dumfries and Galloway but unfortunately just one week before the start of shooting, the Dumfries and Galloway Council announced that filming had once again been stopped for financial reasons. Eventually in 2009 filming recommenced and much of the film was shot on location in Haddington, Gorebridge, Brighton, Midlothian, and Dallas.

Travelling to Brighton to look for work, the film’s protagonists stay in a local hotel and are then approached by members of the local community to sing at their church. They are then invited to stay after to preach, but become a much more central part of Brighton’s May Day celebrations.