And what of Saruman the Wise?
The venerable and mighty Saruman, with four other magicians to the Guardians of Middle Earth (sic) that will help the world of order and balance. Above all, Saruman the fate of the free nations arranged according to his discretion. As head of the White Council, he fears with growing unease that Gandalf the Grey and Thorin Oakenshield could mess up his careful calculations. Saruman is indeed very old and wise out there, but according to its underlying weakness, and lusts for power – a greed that ultimately produce the most deadly of all Covenants.
Are these passing references to Saruman’s treachery in the original film trilogy? Or, as in Tolkien’s writings, has Saruman already fallen into evil and plotting against our heroes?
Whatever the case, it is entirely possible that the Necromancer story will involve more than Gandalf and Radagast simply poking around the High Fells and Dol Guldur. As Peter Jackson once explained — the films will frame the story amidst the greater “geopolitical” happenings of the period.
“Geopolitical” meaning that greater attention will be paid to the involved cultures/realms, and the characters therein.
Potentially, this expansion will include the most important geopolitical events that occur in The Hobbit: those concerning Sauron’s strongholds and presence in the north-east which later informed the entire tale told in The Lord of the Rings itself.
Captain Salt has been a Tolkien fan since childhood when he played Gloin in a stage production of The Hobbit though as there were only about eight dwarves, he was given other dwarves’ dialogue as well, resulting in a rather strange Gloin who at times talked to himself in a Gollum-ish manner. He’s also volunteered through the years at other film sites and has written for (minor) entertainment publications.
The views presented in this article are his own and don’t necessarily represent TheOneRing.net or other staff.
