Change to Key Scene in The Lord of the Rings Upset Christopher Lee Enough to Boycott the Premiere of The Return of the King

Christopher Lee was an exceptional cast member in The Lord of the Rings, because he was the only one who knew J.R.R. Tolkien personally and playing a role in the screen adaptation was very important to the actor. In the end, he was given the role of Saruman, and I think every viewer will agree that he perfectly played one of the most important antagonists. However, when The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King did not feature Saruman's death scene, the actor was livid (vide Collider):

Christopher Lee was to state that when the script was first presented to him, he noticed that the filmmakers didn't really understand it. They didn't realize how important Saruman was to the whole story. The actor boycotted the movie's premiere, but eventually reconciled with Peter Jackson, as evidenced by Christopher Lee's participation in the movie adaptation of the The Hobbit.

Related:Lord of the Rings Took a Creative Jab at Harvey Weinstein; Elijah Wood Recalls

There's no denying that without Saruman's death scene, a sizable hole remains in the entire film story. His actions drove one of the most important plots of The Two Towers, and then the antagonist played by Lee suddenly disappears in Return of the King. Audiences needed an explanation and only got one in the extended version of the movies. Proof that Christopher Lee was right was to be found in the inquiries that began to appear after the movie hit theaters. Fans wanted to know why Saruman was missing.

However, the actor did not forget Peter Jackson's cut of this very important part of the show until the very end. The director revealed that when he asked Christopher Lee to attend the premiere screening of The Hobbit: An Extraordinary Journey, he was said to have asked if his character was in the movie.

More:Years Ago One of the Best Fantasy Franchises Was Deemed 'Unsuitable for Adaptation'