The Lord of the Rings has been subject to a number of controversies in the fandom, not the least of these being Saruman’s death being cut, but this actually opens up an exciting prospect for another movie. Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies cut a lot of J.R.R. Tolkien’s story to fit it into three feature-length pictures, but fans weren’t expecting Saruman’s death to be one of the elements cut. It was vital to the character’s arc, and Christopher Lee’s stellar performance made it even more exciting to see Saruman’s death on-screen.

By all measures, Saruman’s death could have appeared by The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’ end, since Saruman never reappeared at the end of The Return of the King. Christopher Lee would only ever have been welcomed in any faithful scene, given his brilliantly despicable Saruman. As a war veteran, Lee was inclined to die a spectacular and realistic death as the evil Wizard, even going so far as to correct Jackson on his directorial choice of dying sounds. But it wasn’t to be, in The Lord of the Rings theatrical versions, at least, creating an intriguing possibility.

Peter Jackson Cut Saruman’s Death From The Lord Of The Rings’ Theatrical Cut

Saruman’s Death Scene Was Removed From The Two Towers

Peter Jackson filmed Saruman’s death scene for The Two Towers, intending to include it, but it was cut. Saruman’s infamous and gory death scene was, in fact, cut from all the theatrical versions of The Lord of the Rings movies. Saruman was one of Lord of the Rings’ five Wizards, and had a mᴀssive role in the story. This made it a huge pain point for Tolkien fans how Jackson proceeded to let Saruman just fade out of the narrative, without ever adding his death scene back in or addressing his fate.

Second only to Gandalf in terms of being the series’ most important Wizard, Saruman was one of the most evil characters in The Lord of the Rings. In that sense, it would have been ideal to have him back at the end of The Return of the King for some Scouring of the Shire scenes. However, the trilogy’s ending was perfect as it was. The least Jackson could have done was put Saruman’s death scene into The Return of the King. Even that was ignored, but at last the scene joined The Return of the King’s extended version.

Without Saruman’s Movie Death, We Can Have A Scouring Of The Shire Movie

The Theatrical Movies Leave Saruman Alive In The Lord Of the Rings

While the extended cuts of The Lord of the Rings movies include Saruman’s death, the movies originally left Saruman’s fate unexplored, leaving future movies free to tackle the Scouring of the Shire. The extended editions are the director’s cut, so it could certainly be argued that only the theatrical versions present the canon, if the argument had to be made. As one of Sauron’s most powerful servants in The Lord of the Rings, Saruman is definitely a good subject for future Warner Bros. Lord of the Rings movies. And, if he’s still alive, he can be that subject.

Saruman’s story does not end in volume two of The Lord of the Rings, released in three parts between 1954 and 1955. Volume two, The Two Towers, amplified Saruman’s role as the Battle of Helm’s Deep rolled out. But Saruman was going strong by the end of The Return of the King, rather than dying, as the extended movie suggested. Saruman masterminded the Scouring of the Shire as Sharkey, Boss of the Ruffians invading the Shire and exerting a harsh control over it. This would make a great movie, complete with Lobelia Sackville Baggins fighting off Orcs with an umbrella.

How A Scouring Of The Shire Movie Can Work So Long After The Return Of The King

A Scouring Of The Shire Movie Still Makes Sense

It definitely made sense for Peter Jackson to end his trilogy where he did, but an addendum to the trilogy in the form of a Scouring of the Shire movie makes sense, even after all these years. With The Return of the King coming out in 2003, it has been over 20 years since its cast graced screens as the Fellowship of the Ring and its enemies. This could cause some issues, at first glance. Christopher Lee sadly pᴀssed away in 2015, for starters, so he wouldn’t be able to reprise his role as Saruman.

However, Saruman did not necessarily take his usual form in the Scouring of the Shire – he was Sharkey, Tyrant of the Shire. He seemed more crooked and haggard in this form than the majestic one he inhabited earlier in the story, whether this reflected shapeshifting or not. Therefore, a different actor could play Sharkey without it being too much of an issue. Certain members of the Fellowship of the Ring would have to reprise their roles too – the Hobbits. Elijah Wood, at the very least, hasn’t aged a day. Similarly, the other Hobbits shouldn’t present a huge issue.

A Scouring Of The Shire LOTR Movie Sounds Better Than The Hunt For Gollum

A Scouring Of The Shire Movie Has Lots Of Content To Adapt

Warner Bros. has another live-action Lord of the Rings movie coming out, The Hunt for Gollum, but a Scouring of the Shire movie may be a better idea. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim came out on December 13, 2024, featuring Christopher Lee’s voice as Saruman – in an animated cameo. This first-ever official anime Lord of the Rings movie proved that Lee may have pᴀssed away, but his character can easily live on. Resurrecting Saruman via a new actor, and possibly some clips of Lee’s voice, if suitable, may be easier than aging all the Fellowship.

Many Fellowship members may appear in The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, with Ian McKellen all but confirmed. Viggo Mortensen might return as Aragorn for the movie, with Orlando Bloom already having been approached about joining as Legolas. Bloom confirmed that Andy Serkis, who will direct the movie, said that he can use AI to deage the cast. The movie will use sections of the appendices for its source material, whereas the Scouring of the Shire is included in the novel. Overall, perhaps a Scouring of the Shire movie would be easier for The Lord of the Rings.