The fact that Saruman was in The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim is pretty exciting, but the character’s surprising casting makes this news even better. The next animation Lord of the Rings The film is set almost 200 years before Peter Jackson’s film trilogy and tells the story of Helm Hammerhand’s daughter, Héra, and Rohan’s conflict with the Dunlendings. Although most of the characters who play a role in Frodo’s story have not yet been born, there is room for crossovers in War of the Rohirrim– although the cast was a little more complicated.
The next The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrimwhich opens in theaters on December 13, 2024, is directed by Kenji Kamiyama, with Peter Jackson serving as executive producer. Although the film’s animated format is new to Lord of the Ringsthis version of Middle-earth should feel completely cohesive with Jackson’s popular films. The art was inspired by the sets used in 2003, and the return of Miranda Otto as Éowyn further reinforces that this is the same world that audiences know and love. How it is, that Lord of the Rings actor isn’t the only familiar voice to watch.
Christopher Lee’s voice will be featured in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
The late Christopher Lee returns to Lord of the Rings
Sir Christopher Lee, who played Saruman in Peter Jackson’s film Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, is again credited with playing this character in 2024 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. The legendary actor passed away in 2015, but producer Philippa Boyens (who also served as a writer on Jackson’s film Lord of the Rings) explained that they, used unused recordings of Lee’s voice from Hobbit films (through The One Ring). This way, the character of Saruman could be introduced without a new voice actor trying to duplicate Lee’s interpretation.
Saruman’s role in the Rohirrim war explained
The War of the Rohirrim sets the stage for the story of the Two Towers of Saruman
Boyens explained that she and the rest of the War of the Rohirrim the team considered recasting Saruman, indicating that this character was a planned part of the plot from the beginning – not a cameo meant just to pay homage to Lee. This makes sense, as the original White Wizard had a small role to play at this point in the story. from Rohan. According to Tolkien’s version of the story, Saruman appeared in Rohan shortly after the conflict with the Dunlendings. This is when he began his relationship with the Rohirrim, which leads directly to the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
All of this would be configured by War of the Rohirrimmaking a cohesive version of Saruman’s character – voiced by Lee – all the more necessary.
Through his friendship with Rohan, Saruman gained control of Orthanc in Isengard. Of course, during events War of the Rohirrimthis wizard is still playing well with the beings of Middle Earth. The relationship here will be beneficial for both of them, and for nearly two centuries, Rohan will consider Saruman a friend. Of course, the revelation of the One Ring will inspire Saruman to officially join Sauron and attack King Théoden and his people in Helm’s Deep. All of this would be configured by War of the Rohirrimmaking a cohesive version of Saruman’s character – voiced by Lee – all the more necessary.
Christopher Lee’s voice cameo proves why animation was the way forward for the Rohirrm war
Middle Earth is open to endless possibilities thanks to animation
Warner Bros and New Line Cinema following the animation path to War of the Rohirrim It was a big surprise, but Lee’s participation in the film is just another example of the benefits of this format. While the technology exists to bring Lee’s character to the screen in live action, this use of AI (especially with actors who have passed away) has long been controversial. On the other hand, using archived recordings of Lee’s work is a much more comfortable way to bring Saruman into a new Lord of the Rings film while also paying homage to the actor and his spectacular performance.
This is just the beginning of the benefits of animated sequences. Jackson Lord of the Rings trilogy was released 20 years ago, but the demand for more stories on screen is greater now than ever. Still, even bringing back actors who are still with us is complicated. This is a problem faced by the next The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum film. The film was technically supposed to feature Aragorn’s character at the same age he was Fellowship of the Ringbut actor Viggo Mortensen would clearly have aged since then. If the film were animated, this wouldn’t be a problem.
Of course not all new Lord of the Rings the film may be animated, but there are clear benefits to using this format. Lee’s voice appeared The War of the Rohirrim proves this, as this character could not have returned in the same capacity if the film was not animated. Ultimately, whether we see more projects like his will depend on how Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim performs. If the public likes what they see, the doors will be open to virtually limitless possibilities.
Source: The One Ring