Future Lord of the Rings movies may finally make up for a missed Sauron opportunity

The Lord of the Rings Universe is expanding, and exciting opportunities will come to further develop Middle-earth’s knowledge and characters. With that expansion, future LOTR Films can capitalize on one largely missed Sauron opportunity. Warner Bros. Discovery announced plans to release several new ones LOTR films. The first release will be animated The War of the Rohirrim At the end of 2024, followed by The dog for Gollum in 2026, with a second live action film planned for a later date. These installments have the opportunity to mature the Sauron franchise’s tight depictions.

Peter Jackson most often portrayed Sauron (Sala Baker) in his cinematography The Lord of the Rings Trilogy like The Flaming and Ever-Watching Eye. in The Hobbit Film series, Jackson portrayed a wild Sauron (Benedict Cumberbatch) as the necromancer. The shadowy and vague form eventually came to embody the armored Sauron shown in Jackson’s films. Jackson, more often than not, used abstract depictions to represent the Dark Lord. With Amazon Prime The rings of power With a nuanced and physical Sauron (Charlie Vickers), New LOTR Movies have grounds to unveil a more complex villain.

Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies keep their distance from Sauron’s character

He was first represented as a giant eye

Peter Jackson The Lord of the Rings Kino distanced himself from Sauron’s physical embodiment and personality. Jackson chose to keep Sauron’s character detached from Middle-earth, leaning into his symbolism and influence While keeping the film’s focus on the One Ring and its sway over the story. Although this approach successfully produced a villain whose mystique alludes to power beyond Gandalf (Ian McKellen), it reduces his active involvement in the story. Jackson admits that Sauron embodied as a giant eye prevented him from participating in the story in any significant way.

Taking on the Dark Lord was an effective way to showcase his lack of integrity during his attempt to regain the One Ring that could restore his full power. With Tolkien’s Sauron having an intentionally obscure form and never appearing before any of the characters in the book, Jackson was forced to visually remind his audience of the leading antagonist’s presence and threat. There is also little subtlety to Sauron’s character in Jackson’s films. Sauron is a force bent on instilling discord, reclaiming the One Ring, and ultimately destroying what is good. Motivations and emotions are excluded from his goal to dominate Middle-earth.

Jackson, IN The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug And The Hobbit: The Battle of Five ArmiesSeems to start reconnetting his disembodied representation of Sauron. Jackson shows flames forming the iconic eye, but where the disciple sits, Sauron’s silhouette begins to form, and he reveals his physical body. There are also brief moments where a brightly lit Sauron is shown, possibly alluding to his earlier Maia form.

Warner Bros. New LOTR movies can finally paint Sauron the way Tolkien describes him

The shape of a big, strong man

With Warner Bros. Expanding Middle-earth, Sauron can be portrayed as embodied and nuanced, closer to what Tolkien envisioned. Although Tolkien left Sauron’s character somewhat vague in his The Lord of the Rings books, Some specifics about Sauron can be gleaned from Tolkien’s letters and the appendix of LOTR. It is challenging to visually depict Sauron because, like all the Ainur (the holy ones, referring to all the Valar and Maiar), he is able to take many forms and is not in a consistent body.

Sauron’s character, according to Tolkien, was not just trying to conquer Middle-earth for the sake of power. Sauron was one of the Aulës (a Valar concerned with stone and metal) until he was corrupted by Melkor (Morgoth). Sauron desired order above all else, and he chose to follow Melkor as a means of achieving this desire. This obsession was so consuming for Sauron that it overcame all other concerns.

in his letters, Tolkien says that Sauron assumed the form of a large man, but not huge. He was also a strong and impressive figure. Gollum, when speaking to Frodo in Tolkien’s The Lord of the RingsSays Sauron “Has only four on the black hand,” clearly referencing a Third Age embodied Sauron who bore his wounds from the War of the Last Alliance when Isildur cut off his finger and the One Ring. The Silmarillion Mentions that Sauron became a werewolf, a serpent and a vampire. Regardless of form, Sauron is an embodied being.

Tolkien mentioned the eye imagery personified in Jackson’s films With references to the Eye of Mordor, Window of the Eye, Eye of Barad-Dur and the Great Eye. The references are symbolic, however, meant to symbolize Sauron looking out of an opening in the tower of Barad-deur, viewing events hundreds of miles away. These are also representations of Sauron’s fierce observation. In the Third Age, Sauron adopted the red eye as a symbol to denote his character.

The Rings of Power proves what a compelling villain Sauron can be

A complete change from Jackson’s depiction of the villain

Amazon Prime Video The rings of power Points what A captivating and complex character Sauron can be. The rings of power Turning from Peter Jackson’s symbolic representation of Sauron, choosing to fully embody him in the forms of Halfrand, Annatar, an anonymous man (Jack Lowden), and a sentient black substance. Even after Jack Lowden’s Sauron is killed by Adar (Sam Hazeldine) and his orcs, he bleeds out and becomes a physical dark mass, never completely losing substance. Sauron’s consistent physicality in The rings of power Is A complete change from Jackson’s depiction of the villain.

The rings of power Taking the eye imagery that Jackson depicted literally and bringing it back to its intended form as an analogy. Adar reaches this decisive point in season 2, episode 6, when he talks about Sauron to Galadriel (Morphid Clarke). Adar says that Sauron’s “eye bores a hole while the rest of him slides in,” signifying Sauron’s masterful ability to manipulate those around him.

The rings of power Shaped a more nuanced Sauron than Tolkien or Jackson. The most poignant moments that reveal Sauron’s complexity are during his interactions with Galadriel and Celebrimbor (Charles Edwards). After Sauron reveals his true self to Galadriel and asks her to be his queen, she rejects him, which he tears up. Later, Sauron reveals his identity to Celebrimbor and shares his painful origin story in which he implies being tortured by Morgoth, forcing his servitude and setting him on his current path to achieving order and peace. After Celebrimbor also rejects him, Sauron ends the elven-smith’s life in tears.

With the choice to fully embody Sauron and introduce complex emotions and motivations to his character, The rings of power Created a far more compelling version of Sauron than had ever been seen. Even if Sauron’s stories and tears are only meant to manipulate those around him, his choice to use such complex characteristics adds to his intrigue.

In which upcoming Lord of the Rings movies Sauron may appear

The dog for Gollum It is more likely to show the villain

with The War of the Rohirrim Releasing at the end of 2024 and The dog for Gollum Coming in 2026, it’s reasonable to wonder if Tolkien’s main protagonist will make an appearance in either. Sauron may show his form in both filmsHowever The dog for Gollum is more likely to feature the villain.

The dog for Gollum Will involve Gandalf’s sending Aragorn to search for Gollum (Andy Serkis) Just before Frodo leaves the Shire with the One Ring. According to Tolkien, around the time of this hunt, Gollum wandered into Mordor and was captured by Sauron. Gollum is then tortured by Sauron and notices the Dark Lord’s missing finger. Eight years after his initial imprisonment, Gollum was finally released from Mordor. The time frame and Sauron’s direct involvement with the title’s main character leave plenty of room for the Dark Lord to appear.

Sauron is less likely to be featured in The War of the RohirrimBut it is possible. The film will focus on the war between the Rohirrim and the Dunlendings (later employed by Sarumon in the service of Sauron) in the Third Age. Nearly 700 years before the war, the wise (respectively elves and wizards) fear that Sauron may take form. One year after the war, Sauron remains in Isengard. There is plenty of room for Sauron to show his face, especially with all the rumors and his future dealings with the Dunlendings.

With Sauron’s character reforged by The rings of power In a complex and physical being, it is exciting to see how the new Lord of the Rings Films can continue to make up for the lack of depth originally created by Peter Jackson’s simple and symbolic portrayal of the Dark Lord. Continuing to build a more interesting Sauron is what Middle-earth needs and will hopefully continue to get.