The Wicker Man nature in spring. By the time of the film's completion the studio had been bought by EMI, and British Lion was managed by Michael Deeley. The DVD commentary track states that studio executives suggested a more "upbeat" ending to the film, in which a sudden rain puts the flames of the wicker man out and spares Howie's life, but this suggestion was refused. Hardy subsequently had to remove about 20 minutes of scenes on the mainland, early investigations, and (to Lee's disappointment) some of Lord Summerisle's initial meeting with Howie. The first screening of the film was to trade and
The Wicker Man As a former artist, Hardy expressed great interest in the medium of comics, and planned a graphic novel which would retell the story of "The Wicker Man", based on his own storyboards for the film. Hardy was in talks with yet unnamed artists to work on the project, as he found it too difficult to make the characters look consistent from one panel to the next. Hardy was working on his next film, "The Wrath of the Gods", at the time of his death on July 1, 2016. He intended the graphic novel and the new film to be released