The Wicker Tree Oklahoma. However, Hardy was ultimately unable to secure funding, and the film was cancelled. He then adapted his screenplay into a novel, which was published as "Cowboys for Christ". Hardy felt that writing the novel gave him a much clearer idea of what he wanted to do, and he eventually adapted the novel into the screenplay which was used for "The Wicker Tree". Originally Hardy wrote the part of Sir Lachlan Morrison for Christopher Lee, who played Lord Summerisle in "The Wicker Man". While filming the newest Hammer production "The Resident" in New Mexico, Lee injured his back when he
The Wicker Man a huge man-shaped sculpture of woven twigs. For Shaffer, this was "the most alarming and imposing image that I had ever seen." The idea of a confrontation between a modern Christian and a remote, pagan community continued to intrigue Shaffer, who performed painstaking research on paganism. Brainstorming with Hardy, they conceived the film as presenting the pagan elements objectively and accurately, accompanied by authentic music and a believable, contemporary setting. One of their main resources was "The Golden Bough", a study of mythology and religion written by Scottish anthropologist James Frazer. Television actor Edward Woodward was cast in the role