Fight involving the Rohirrim Utilizes Christopher Lee's Archive to Resurrect Him as Saruman
The newly released "Lord of the Rings" anime prequel titled "War of the Rohirrim" showcases numerous beloved locations and characters from the initial storyline. Although we were aware that at least one celebrated actor from the Peter Jackson films would return to reenact their part – Miranda Otto as Eowyn, serving as the film's narrative framework device – we now have additional information about another character from the movies making a poignant, unanticipated comeback.
For some time now, it's been acknowledged that Saruman the White would appear in "War of the Rohirrim," but producer Phillipa Boyens recently disclosed during New York Comic Con that the late Christopher Lee would actually voice the character within the film, utilizing archival recordings of Lee's prior performance to create new dialogue.
Boyens explained to TheOneRing.net (via /Film) that her inspiration stemmed from a letter she received from Lee prior to his passing in 2015, as well as conversations with Lee's wife, Birgit Kroencke, who passed away earlier this year. When attempts to locate an actor capable of mimicking Lee's voice proved unsuccessful, "War of the Rohirrim" utilized alternate takes of a line delivery from "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies," specifically Saruman inquiring if Galadriel required help – "Are you in need of assistance, my Lady?" – during their encounter with the Necromancer at Dol Guldur.
"[Kroencke] said the thing that I think that Peter [Jackson] felt in his heart, which was that actually Sir Christopher would've wanted this," Boyens explained. "So we went into his records, I got to go back and hear his voice–not just doing the lines, but talking to us as we were recording him."
"We based it on a line from The Hobbit... and we thought, okay, that's a line we can see how many takes he did of that. Can we use it? Can we find a new read on it and change it up a little bit?" the producer continued. "And our brilliant guys did that. But it is an authentic bit of Christopher Lee performance that it's based on that line."
Now, we must confront this worrying trend in entertainment as studios make use of generative AI as a means to solve their issues – either denying opportunities for living actors or reanimating deceased ones to perpetually labor through their voices. Initiatives such as this are becoming more prevalent, like James Earl Jones granting his voice to the AI firm Respeecher before his demise, but it is comforting to witness that "War of the Rohirrim" went the extra mile to maintain authenticity by employing Lee's extensive archives.
"To be honest, we didn’t know if we could find [that line]," Boyens added. "Just as a due diligence, we said ‘lets see if there’s a cast-alike as someone who could do the voice out there.’ Now I know the internet is going to say, of course, there’s a million people out there who could’ve done Christopher Lee’s voice, but you know what? I don’t think so. I’m so glad we used his own voice."
Technologies in entertainment are constantly evolving, and now generative AI is being used to address certain challenges, such as bringing back deceased actors through archival recordings. This trend was seen in the making of the anime prequel "War of the Rohirrim," where the late Christopher Lee's voice was utilized for Saruman the White, using lines from "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies."
Following the success of "War of the Rohirrim," Io9, a popular science fiction and technology website, speculated about the potential impact of this approach on the future of movie production, suggesting that it could either limit opportunities for living actors or provide a unique way to honor beloved characters.
