The Lord of the Rings (film series) the series are fans of the book, including Christopher Lee, who (alone among the cast) had actually met Tolkien in person, and Boyens once noted that no matter what, it is simply their interpretation of the book. Jackson once said that to simply summarize the story on screen would be a mess, and in his own words, "Sure, it's not really "The Lord of the Rings"... but it could still be a pretty damn cool movie." Other fans also claim that, despite any changes, the films serve as a tribute to the book, appealing to those who have not yet
Saruman begins roughly where Bakshi's film ends but does not include Saruman's character. BBC Radio's second adaptation of "The Lord of the Rings", from 1981, presents Saruman much as in the books. Smith and Matthews report Peter Howell's performance as Saruman as "brilliantly ambiguous ..., drifting from mellifluous to almost bestially savage from moment to moment without either mood seeming to contradict the other". Saruman is played by Matti Pellonpää in the 1993 television miniseries "Hobitit" that was produced and aired by Finnish broadcaster Yle. In Peter Jackson's film trilogy (2001–2003), Saruman is significantly more active in the first two films