Come. It Is Time To Keep Your Appointment With THE WICKER MAN ...Trilogy

Simon de Bruyn, Contributing Writer; Melbourne, Australia

August 23 2013, 11:30 AM

While we are waiting for the upcoming release of Robin Hardy's so-called "Final Cut" of The Wicker Man (which really just reminds me of singer John Farnham's endless "Last Time" tours), we can be comforted by the news that the cult director plans to add one final film to complete his Wicker Man trilogy. Titled Wrath of the Gods, the film is expected to explore similar themes to the first two films The Wicker Man and The Wicker Tree (thankfully changed from the old title Cowboys of Christ), but with a focus on the gods this time, not on the ones making the offering to them.

As reported in Screen Daily:

"I am just at the opening stages of financing it (Wrath Of The Gods) and hope to make it next year," said Hardy, who will also produce.

The writer-director added: "The first two films are all (about) offers to the Gods. The third film is about the Gods. I use the vehicle of the final act of Götterdämmerung (the last of Wagner's Ring cycle)."

The new project, which is slated to shoot in the Shetlands, won't be "heavily Wagner-esque" but is expected to explore similar themes to the previous two films.

While Christopher Lee is scaling down his acting - his roles in the new Hobbit films achieved by the production shooting scenes in the UK's Pinewood Studios so Lee didn't have to fly - I do wonder if the pair are considering a cameo similar to the one Hardy wrote for Lee in The Wicker Tree (should his health permit it). Certainly for someone who seems to be intent on retiring gracefully from the profession which he has cast a giant shadow over, this final Wicker film could be a great and symbolic end point for Lee to end his remarkable career on.