Movies
‘The Wicker Man’ Director Hunts Rare Footage For 40th Anniversary!
Director Robin Hardy has endorsed a worldwide appeal launched by StudioCanal to locate original film materials relating to the 1973 cult horror classic The Wicker Man.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the film about a policeman (Edward Woodward) sent to a remote island village in search of a missing girl, whom the townsfolk claim never existed. It also stars Christopher Lee.
StudioCanal intends to mark the occasion by releasing the “most complete version of the film possible”.
The Wicker Man was originally released with minimal promotion as the second feature in a double bill with Don’t Look Now.
The version exhibited to audiences was significantly shorter (88mins) than Hardy’s original vision (102mins)!
The negatives disappeared from storage at Shepperton Studios and were allegedly used as landfill in the construction of the nearby M4 motorway.
US director Roger Corman stil had a print of the full-length version – used for US theatrical release – but it has been missing since the 1980s and only poor quality 1” video material is known to exist of this version.
StudioCanal are now appealing to film collectors, historian, programmers and fans to come forward with any information relating to the protential whereabouts of original materials.
Hardy said: “I never thought that, after 40 years, they would still be finding lost fragments of my film. We thought all of The Wicker Man had gone up in flames, but fragments keep turning up and the hunt goes on.”
A special Facebook page has been created to serve as a forum for the search.
Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day, Freaky) is staying busy here in 2024, directing not only the werewolf movie Big Bad but also an upcoming thriller titled Drop.
The project for Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes is being described as a “fast-paced thriller,” and Deadline reports today that Violett Beane (Truth or Dare) has joined the cast.
Newcomer Jacob Robinson has also signed on to star in the mysterious thriller. Previously announced, Meghann Fahy (“White Lotus”) will be leading the cast.
Landon recently teased on Twitter, “This is my love letter to DePalma.”
Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach wrote the script.
Michael Bay, Jason Blum, Brad Fuller and Cameron Fuller — “who brought the script in to Platinum Dunes” — are producing the upcoming Drop. Sam Lerner is an executive producer.
THR notes, “The film is a Platinum Dunes and Blumhouse production for Universal.”
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