Director Justin Hardy dies at 61 weeks before FrightFest premiere

British filmmaker Justin Hardy, son of cult‑horror director Robin Hardy, died on the night of 1 August 2026 at age 61 after suffering a heart attack. His family described him as “a man of family, of boundless creativity” and said they were “devastated” and “heart‑broken” that he would not see his final film released.

Hardy had just completed production on Wrath of the Gods, the concluding chapter of the Wicker Man trilogy that began with his father’s 1973 classic and continued with the 2011 sequel The Wicker Tree. The film was scheduled to premiere at London’s FrightFest on 28 August 2026.

Throughout his career Hardy earned BAFTA and Emmy nominations for historical documentaries such as Princes in the Tower, Trafalgar Battle Surgeon, The Relief of Belsen and Spanish Flu: The Forgotten Fallen. He also taught screenwriting at University College London. He is survived by his wife Larissa and their four children.