Christopher Lee Stopped Talking to Peter Jackson Over Cut LotR Sequence

The behind the scenes drama of The Lord of the Rings trilogy is well-known among fans of the series. While the movies are now considered classics, they were not without their fair share of controversy and conflict. One of the most notable examples of this was the decision to cut the death scene of Saruman, played by the legendary Sir Christopher Lee.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy may enjoy a cult status now, but it wasn't without its fair share of behind the scenes drama. The legendary Sir Christopher Lee, who played the role of Saruman, had his character's scenes cut from the theatrical release of the trilogy's final installment. This decision reportedly upset Lee immensely, and he stopped talking to director Peter Jackson for a while afterwards.

There's no Saruman in The Return of the King at all, the somewhat bonkers fact in retrospect that Jackson himself explained with narrative necessity. It didn't help the case, not exactly: Lee was so angered by the move, he very pointedly ignored the movie's premiere and red carpet event.

"The problem is that the sequence was originally shot for The Two Towers, as it is in the book. Since The Two Towers couldn't sustain a seven-minute 'wrap' after Helm's Deep, we thought it would be a good idea to save it for the beginning of the Return of the King," Jackson explained to Ain't It Cool News back in 2003.

He went on to say that when the LotR production team viewed various ROTK cuts over the last few weeks, it felt like the first scenes were wrapping last year's movie, instead of starting the new one. Ultimately, the whole sequence was left on a cutting room floor.

It's understandable why Lee would be upset about the decision to cut Saruman's death scene. In J.R.R. Tolkien's original books, Saruman plays a crucial role in the story as the leader of the evil wizards seeking to defeat the forces of good. In the film, his character's importance is somewhat diminished without the climactic death scene.

But it's important to remember that these kinds of decisions are not unusual in the entertainment industry. For example, Best Actor award winner Adrian Brody was cut out of most of The Thin Red Line. While it's always disappointing when an actor's performance is cut from a film, it's simply a part of the business. Despite the behind the scenes drama, The Lord of the Rings trilogy went on to be a huge success, with Lee's performance as Saruman being widely praised.