Summary
A legendary actor from Peter Jackson’sLord of the Ringstrilogy will be returning to Middle Earth and play a pivotal role in the upcoming animation movieThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.
The original trilogy is one of the greatest film franchises of all time and features extraordinary performances from some of the greatest actors of this generation. One such performance came from the late Christopher Lee, who played the role of Saruman the White in the original trilogy. The actor received universal acclaim for his performance in the film series, which made him immortal in the world created by J. R. R. Tolkien. While it’s not possible to have the actor back for any upcoming live-action film, the Academy Award-winning actor will be seen playing an important role inLOTR:The War of the Rohirrim.
While speaking in an interview with theOne Ring YouTube channel, the writer-producer ofThe War of the Rohirrimanimation film, Phillipa Boyens, confirmed that Lee will make a surprising return to Middle Earth and play a significant role in the movie. During the conversation, Boyens revealed that Lee would have wanted to be a part of this project if he was alive. Moreover, the producer noted that his performance in the animated project is actually based on a line Lee said during the Hobbit film. Boyens said, “I reached out to Gita, Lady Lee, and she said the thing that I think Peter (Jackson) felt in his heart. Christopher would’ve wanted this. And so we went into his records and got to go back and hear his voice, not just doing the lines, but talking to us as well. We based it on a line fromThe Hobbit, which is, ‘Are you in need of assistance, my lady?’ [It was] a version of that line… Can we use it? Can we find a new read of it?”
The news of Lee making a return to Middle Earth spread like wildfire on social media and prompted fans to share their excitement about the beloved actor reprising his role. The actor portrayed the role of Saruman inJackson’s originalLord of the Ringstrilogyand The Hobbit trilogy. It is befitting that the makers decided to revive Lee’s character for the film because the actor was a huge fan of Tolkien’s work and readLOTRonce a year for decades. Moreover, he even knew the wordings that were written in the Elven language. For the uninitiated, Saruman leads the Istari, the order of wizards sent to Middle Earth in human form to oppose Sauron. Unlike the other wizards, though, Saruman’s path takes a darker turn; he becomes corrupted by his desire for power and seeks to dominate Middle-earth himself.
There’s no doubt that fans were excited aboutLOTR: The War of the Rohirrim, but the announcement of Lee’s appearance in the project has taken everyone by storm. Without any guesses, this piece of information will play an important role in making this film more successful at the box office. The movie is set 183 years before the events that took place in Jackson’s trilogy and chronicles the journey of the legendary king Helm Hammerhand and his family trying to defend their kingdom from the menacing army of Dunlendings.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimis scheduled to hit theaters on July 05, 2025.
