Third Wicker Man film to be a tribute to actor Lee

Sir Christopher Lee appeared in The Wicker Man and The Wicker Tree

Film-maker Robin Hardy wants to make a third Wicker Man movie as a tribute to its star Sir Christopher Lee.

Lee, who died last month, described his role in the 1973 horror as the "best performance I believe I've ever given".

Like the original, the new film The Wrath of the Gods will be set in Scotland and use locations in the Highlands, Moray and Shetland.

An Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign is raising funds for some of the sets and the building of a replica Viking boat.

Locations in Dumfries and Galloway were used for The Wicker Man.

After that feature and 2011's The Wicker Tree, Hardy said making a third Wicker movie would be a fitting tribute to Sir Christopher and his legacy.

The 93-year-old actor also appeared in The Wicker Tree.

Hardy said: "I always planned for there to be a number of films in what I like to think of as The Wicker Man genre, and although it has been a long time in the making I think fans will find it worth the wait, especially as they can now get involved with the final film in a way that would have been unimaginable when I made the original more than 40 years ago.

"Like the second film, The Wrath of the Gods will not be a sequel in the traditional sense, or for that matter a prequel. Instead, it will be a final reflection on the themes that made The Wicker Man a classic, using some of the same enchanting Celtic landscapes as a backdrop."