Olivia Colman and Dev Patel star in twisted romance Wicker, Black Bear begins sales
Black Bear has launched international sales of “Wicker,” a twisted love story starring an Oscar winner and Oscar nominee . Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson direct from a screenplay adapted from the short story “The Wicker Husband” by Ursula Wills-Jones.
“Wicker” will begin production in 2024. The logline states: “On the edge of a seaside village lives a fisherwoman (Colman); smelly, single and constantly ridiculed. One day she’s fed up with her stuffy, small-minded neighbors and has a husband made out of wicker (Patel). In an otherwise conservative city, this unconventional romance sparks outrage, jealousy and chaos.”
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Topic Studios and Tango will finance and produce the film, along with Colman, Ed Sinclair and Tom Carver of South of The River, David Michôd and Brad Zimmerman for Yoki, Inc. and Justin Lothrop and Brent Boots for Votiv bringing development to life called and financed. The UTA Independent Film Group represents the US distribution together with CAA Media Finance.
Colman won an Oscar for his leading role in Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Favourite”. She is also known for her work in The Lost Daughter, The Father and Tyrannosaur, as well as the television projects Heartstopper, Landscapers, The Crown, Fleabag and The Night Manager. and “Broadchurch.” Her upcoming projects include Paul King’s Wonka, Thea Sharrock’s Wicked Little Letters and Dougal Wilson’s Paddington in Peru.
Patel made his breakthrough in the Oscar-winning film “Slumdog Millionaire”. He has since starred in the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel films, The Green Night, The Personal History of David Copperfield and Lion, for which he received an Oscar nomination. He recently appeared in Wes Anderson’s Netflix short films “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar” and “Poison.” Patel will next be seen in his directorial debut, Monkey Man, which he also co-wrote and produced.
Fischer and Wilson’s previous feature, “Save Yourselves!”, which they co-wrote and directed, was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2020 Sundance Festival. Over the past year, Black Bear has released a number of titles to the international market, including The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and The Monkey.
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