The iconic Sir Christopher Lee will once again bring his voice to the character of Saruman in the upcoming animated film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.
Although Lee passed away in 2015, his unforgettable portrayal will be revived through carefully chosen archival audio from his previous work in the Lord of the Rings films.
At New York Comic Con, Philippa Boyens, a long-time writer and collaborator with director Peter Jackson on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, revealed a nostalgic detail about the upcoming animated film.
In a recent interview with fan site TheOneRing.net, Boyens shared that Christopher Lee’s voice will once again grace the character of Saruman through the use of previously unreleased audio recordings.
This return of Lee’s voice was made possible with the permission of his widow, Gitte Lee, who also recently passed away.
The unused recordings come from Lee’s time working on Jackson’s The Hobbit films, during which his vocal performance as the powerful and enigmatic wizard Saruman was captured extensively.
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.”
She further added, “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 from The 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?”
Boyens further shared that the team behind The War of the Rohirrim initially explored the possibility of casting a sound-alike to recreate Saruman’s lines.
However, they felt that Lee’s original voice could capture an irreplaceable authenticity and depth. “We’re thrilled to have been able to use his actual voice.”
Set for release in 2024, The War of the Rohirrim is helmed by Kenji Kamiyama.
The official synopsis of the film reads:
“Set 183 years before the events chronicled in the original trilogy of films, “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” tells the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan.”
“A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg—a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm’s Deep.”
“Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Héra, the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead the resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their total destruction.”
The animated film features an impressive voice cast, with Brian Cox as Helm Hammerhand and Gaia Wise as Hera.
Luke Pasqualino and Laurence Ubong Williams also star, and Miranda Otto returns as Éowyn, narrating the story to add another layer of connection to Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings films.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is set to hit theatres on December 13, 2024.
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