Saruman appears as a minor villain in "Lego Dimensions", in which he allies himself with main antagonist Lord Vortech. Asteroid 418532 Saruman was named after the wizard and in honor of actor Christopher Lee. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on 25 September 2018 (). [a] The volume published as "The Silmarillion" in 1977 contains four books in addition to the "Quenta Silmarillion". The last of these—"Of the Rings of Power and the Third Age"—covers Saruman's earlier history, but was written after "The Lord of the Rings". Note: For ease of reference, citations of "Letters" include
The Lord of the Rings (film series) film series of all time. The films were critically acclaimed and heavily awarded, winning 17 out of 30 total Academy Award nominations. The final film in the series, "The Return of the King", won all 11 of its Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, which also tied it with "Ben-Hur" and "Titanic" for most Academy Awards received for a film. The series received wide praise for its innovative special and visual effects. Director Peter Jackson first came into contact with "The Lord of the Rings" when he saw Ralph Bakshi's 1978 animated film "The Lord of the Rings". Jackson "enjoyed