Olivia Colman and Dev Patel Cast in New Horror Romance Movie

Olivia Colman and Dev Patel have been cast as the leads in the upcoming "twisted" romance Wicker. According to Variety, the film will be directed by Alex Huston Fisher and Eleanor Wilson from a script that they adapted from the short story "The Wicker Husband" by Ursula Willis-Jones. Production is set to begin in 2024 with Topic Studios and Tango financing and producing the film with Colman, Ed Sinclair and Tom Carver from South of The River, David Michod and Brad Zimmerman for Yoki, Inc. and Juston Lothrop and Brent Stiefel for Votiv.

Wicker is described as follows: "On the outskirts of a village by the sea, lives of a Fisherwoman (Coleman); smelly, single and perpetually ridiculed. One day, fed up with her stuff, small-minded neighbors, she commissions herself a husband to be made from wicker (Patel). IN an otherwise conservative town, this unconventional romance sparks outrage, jealousy, and chaos."

Patel is best known for his roles in films such as Slumdog Millionaire, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Green Night, The Personal History of David Copperfield, and Lion, for which he was nominated for an Academy Award. Colman previously won an Oscar for The Favourite and has previously appeared in projects such as television's Heartstopper, The Crown, Fleabag, and Marvel's Secret Invasion. She will next appear in the upcoming Wonka as well as Paddington in Peru.

Paddington in Peru Recently Got a 2025 Release Date

On Monday, Sony Pictures announced that Paddington in Peru will open in theaters in January 2025. The highly anticipated third Paddington film brings Paddington's story to Peru as he returns to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown Family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and to the mountain peaks of Peru.

Directed by Dougal Wilson. Screenplay by Mark Burton, Jon Foster and James Lamont. Story by Paul King, Simon Farnaby and Mark Burton, Paddington in Peru is based on the best-selling and internationally adored series of children's stories by British author Michael Bond. Produced by David Heyman and Rosie Alison. Executive producers are Paul King, Anna Marsh, Ron Halpern, Dan MacRae, Tim Wellspring, Jeffrey Clifford and Naoya Kinoshita. The film stars Hugh Bonneville, Emily Mortimer, Antonio Banderas, Olivia Colman, Julie Walters, Madeleine Harris, Samuel Joslin, Jim Broadbent and Carla Tous with both Ben Whishaw and Imelda Staunton returning as the respective voices of Paddington and Aunt Lucy.

"We have long been huge admirers of Dougal's work, his stunning visual creativity, his storytelling, heart, emotion and humour," Studiocanal CEO Anna Marsh and EVP Global Production Ron Halpern said in a statement when production began. "We are so thrilled that Dougal will be directing the third Paddington film. We look forward to bringing Paddington back to Peru for his next big screen adventure." 

Wicker does not yet have a release date.