Saruman than in their equivalent books, and he appears in several scenes that are not depicted in Tolkien's work. In the films, Saruman is depicted presenting himself outright as a servant of Sauron. Smith and Matthews suggest that Saruman's role is built up as a substitute for Sauron—the story's main antagonist—who never appears directly in the book. Jackson confirms this view in the commentary to the DVD. They also suggest that having secured veteran British horror actor Christopher Lee to play Saruman, it made sense to make greater use of his star status. Despite this increased role in the first two
Adaptations of The Lord of the Rings of the Rings" film trilogy, released in three installments as "" (2001), "" (2002), and "" (2003). "", a prequel to "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy featuring some of the same characters, was released on 12 December 2012, directed by Peter Jackson. "" was released on 13 December 2013 and the final installment, "", was released on 11 December 2014. A previous animated adaptation of "The Hobbit" (1977) exists, and was directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. A Swedish live action television film, "Sagan om ringen", inspired by the music album "Music Inspired by Lord of the