The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim features the appearance of a familiar wizard, Saruman the White, despite taking place hundreds of years before the original trilogy. The story of The War of the Rohirrim surrounds the kingdom of Rohan, featured heavily in the latter two movies of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. The Lord of the Rings’ timeline can certainly be confusing, yet The War of the Rohirrim is nestled between Prime Video’s The Rings of Power and Jackson’s The Hobbit series.

Telling the story of Helm Hammerhand and his daughter, Héra, The War of the Rohirrim sees the two face off against the armies of the Dunlendings, solidifying the kingdom of Rohan long before the War of the Ring. As such, The War of the Rohirrim‘s cast of characters features many new faces, devoid of the familiar names of Jackson’s movies and The Rings of Power. That said, by the time the ending of the film rolls around, a known member of The Lord of the Rings’ Istari Order makes a surprise cameo appearance: Saruman the White.

Lord Of The Rings’ Saruman Returns At The End Of War Of The Rohirrim

Saruman’s Shocking Cameo Explained

In the final sequence of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, the aftermath of the titular conflict is outlined. Héra rides out to meet with another wizard, Gandalf, who seeks information about Mordor’s search for Lord of the Rings’ Rings of Power. Meanwhile, Héra’s cousin, Fréaláf, takes the throne of Rohan as the successor of Helm Hammerhand. Fréaláf is shown being crowned as king, giving Héra his blessing to embark on her shieldmaiden adventures. As Fréaláf is rebuilding Edoras, he is greeted by the new Lord of Isengard, Saruman.

His death and the routing of his army of wild men saw Isengard unoccupied, giving Saruman a stronghold close to Rohan…

Saruman enters the ruins of Edoras’ Golden Hall and greets Fréaláf. The wizard tells the young king that he is available should Rohan ever need his aid. This comes after the death of Wulf, The War of the Rohirrim’s primary antagonist, who had previously laid claim to Isengard. His death and the routing of his army of wild men saw Isengard unoccupied, giving Saruman a stronghold close to Rohan that he becomes synonymous with in The Lord of the Rings. This is Saruman’s only scene in The War of the Rohirrim, setting up his Middle-earth future.

Christopher Lee Voices Saruman In Lord Of The Rings: War Of The Rohirrim

The Iconic Actor Returns For One Final Voice Role

Perhaps the most shocking, yet simultaneously satisfying, element of Saruman’s return in The War of the Rohirrim is the return of Christopher Lee. Lee’s return is so surprising due to the actor’s tragic passing in 2015, which saw the fanbase of The Lord of the Rings, that of Lee’s many horror movies, and those from the several franchises Lee had frequented come together to honor the legendary performer. Despite this, Lee somehow returned as Saruman for The War of the Rohirrim almost a decade after his death, begging the question of how this was achieved.

The details around Lee’s return as Saruman in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim were revealed before the movie was released in an interview with TheOneRing. Philippa Boyens, one of the producers and screenwriters of Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, outlined how Lee’s voice was able to be used in The War of the Rohirrim, which Boyens also received story credit for. Boyens revealed that the creators of the 2024 anime film combed over the recordings from Lee’s time as Saruman in The Hobbit trilogy.

Christopher Lee’s line from The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – “Are you in need of assistance, my lady?” – is the line used as the basis for Saruman’s in The War of the Rohirrim.

Eventually, the above line was found that could be reused for The War of the Rohirrim. This means that, thankfully, Christopher Lee’s voice was not recreated using AI or any of the other techniques that have received criticism in recent Hollywood for reviving actors long after their deaths. Instead, The War of the Rohirrim is much less controversial given that the line comes directly from Lee himself and is finally unveiled many years after he passed into Hollywood legend.

How Saruman’s Role In War Of The Rohirrim Sets Up His Lord Of The Rings Future

What Is Next For The Head Of The Istari Order?

As alluded to, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim sets up Saruman’s future in Middle-earth. Concerning the film franchise, Saruman is not seen next until his appearance in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. His appearance in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies sees him aiding the White Council in exiling Sauron from Dol Guldur. To an extent, Saruman’s brief cameo in The War of the Rohirrim precedes this as it establishes the good and powerful nature of the White Wizard at this point in Middle-earth’s timeline.

Beyond that, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim also sets up Saruman’s darker Lord of the Rings future. In the trilogy, Saruman serves Sauron and is dedicated solely to the eradication of Rohan. This is shown in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, from Saruman’s manipulation of King Théoden via Gríma Wormtongue to the raising of a wild man army alongside his Uruk-hai that lays siege to Helm’s Deep.

Saruman’s links to Rohan are evident, which The War of the Rohirrim explains. Saruman becoming the lord of Isengard sees him becoming a strong advisor of Rohan, explaining how he eventually becomes so influential over King Théoden and why it is him who is entrusted by Sauron to destroy the kingdom of men. This is all set up using The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim‘s brief cameo from Saruman the White, establishing the wizard’s tumultuous future.