The fact that Saruman will be inThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimis exciting enough, but the surprising casting of the character makes this news even better. The upcoming animatedLord of the Ringsmovie is set nearly 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. While most characters that play a role in Frodo’s story won’t have been born yet, there is some room for crossover inWar of the Rohirrim—though casting would prove a little more complicated.
The upcomingThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, which releases in theaters on July 04, 2025, is directed by Kenji Kamiyama, with Peter Jackson serving as an executive producer. Though the animated format of the film is new forLord of the Rings, this version of Middle-earth should feel entirely cohesive with Jackson’s popular films. The art was inspired by the sets used back in 2003, and thereturn of Miranda Otto as Éowynfurther reinforces that this is the same world audiences know and love. As it is,thisLord of the Ringsactor isn’t the only familiar voice to look out for.
Christopher Lee’s Voice Will Be Featured In Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim
The Late Christopher Lee Returns To Lord Of The Rings
Sir Christopher Lee, who playedSaruman in Peter Jackson’sLord of the RingsandThe Hobbittrilogies, is again credited for playing this character in 2024’sThe 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 for Jackson’sLord of the Rings) has explained that they utilized unused recordings of Lee’s voice from theHobbitmovies(viaThe One Ring). This way, the character of Saruman could be featured without a new voice actor attempting to duplicate Lee’s portrayal.
Saruman’s Role In War Of The Rohirrim Explained
War Of The Rohirrim Sets the Stage For Saruman’s Two Towers Story
Boyens explained that she and the rest of theWar of the Rohirrimteam considered recasting Saruman, indicating that this character was a planned part of the plot from the beginning—not an added cameo meant only to pay homage to Lee. This makes sense since the original White Wizard had a small role to play in this point of Rohan’s history. According to Tolkien’s version of the tale,Saruman showed up in Rohan shortly after the conflict with the Dunlendings. This is when he began his relationship with the Rohirrim, which leads directly to theevents ofThe Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
This would all be set up byWar of the Rohirrim, making 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 the events ofWar of the Rohirrim, this wizard is still playing nicewith the beings of Middle-earth. The relationship here will be beneficial for both, and for the better part of two centuries, Rohan will consider Saruman a friend. Of course, the unveiling of the One Ring will inspire Saruman to officially join Sauron and attack King Théoden and his people at Helm’s Deep. This would all be set up byWar of the Rohirrim, making 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 To Go For War Of The Rohirrm
Middle-earth Is Open To Endless Possibilities Thanks To Animation
Warner Bros and New Line Cinema taking the animated route forWar of the Rohirrimwas quite a surprise, but Lee’s part 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, such use of AI (especially with actors that have passed) has long been controversial. On the other hand,using archived recordings of Lee’s work is a far more comfortable way to bring Saruman to a newLord of the Ringsmoviewhile paying homage to the actor and his spectacular performance.
Warner Bros and New Line Cinema have multipleLord of the Ringsmovies in the works, includingHunt for Gollumand another unnamed film.
This is only the beginning of the benefits of animated sequels. Jackson’sLord of the Ringstrilogy was released 20 years ago, butthe demand for more on-screen stories is greater now than ever before. Still, even bringing back actors who are still with us is complicated. This is a problem faced by the upcomingThe Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollummovie. The film should technically feature Aragorn’s character at the same age he was inFellowship of the Ring, but actor Viggo Mortensen would clearly have aged since then. If the movie was animated, this would be a non-issue.
Of course, not every newLord of the Ringsmoviecan be animated, but there are clear benefits to utilizing this format. Lee’s voice cameo inThe War of the Rohirrimproves this since this character couldn’t have returned in the same capacity if the film wasn’t animated. Ultimately, whether we see more projects like his will depend on howLord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimperforms. If audiences like what they see, the doors would be thrown wide open to virtually limitless possibilities.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Cast
Set before the events of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an animated action-adventure fantasy film that follows a King of Rohan named Helm Hammerhand. When his home comes under siege by Dunlendings, Hammerhand prepares himself and his allies to fight back against them, with the war leading to the eventual establishment of Helm’s Deep.
