Suppose Christopher Lee doesn't want to play Saruman again, because of the distance/his health, would Frank Langella be an alternative?

[Theodred]

I know, no one could play Saruman better as Christopher Lee, but if he isn't available because of his health, or the distance is a problem (he might have to come to New Zealand for practical reasons, i.e. the interaction with other actors, and because of that they can't film on location), would Frank Langella be a good alternative? His resemblance to Christopher Lee is remarkable imo, because he's a lookalike of Christopher Lee, has also played Dracula in the past and is ofcourse a good actor. Or do you disagree?

[URL="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001449/bio"]http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001449/bio[/url]

 

[adnan]

Great point, that could totally be pulled off...I just hope 'they' have thought of this option as well

 

[7777777]

but the voice is key. Would it work with a CL voice over? I'm not saying he couln't pull off the voice, I'm just not very familiar with this actor(looking it up right now) ...

 

[Kangi Ska]

 

[Eruthurin]

No Please.... I wouldn't like the mental relation to Dumbledore.... no no no no no.....
He's a good actor though... but no.... please.... don't....

Frank Langella could be, but.. I Insist on convince Christopher Lee.... the more original actors, the better.....

 

[Vangalad]

if C.Lee would not be willing to return...
Langella is very good at portraying evil characters ,i 've seen some films with him usually playing the bad guy.
But again,i want more than anything to see C.Lee reprising his role as the cunning white wizard[evil], hope they can find a way to have him back (fingers crossed!).

 

[AinurOlorin]

There is NO good reason they cannot film his scenes there. Lots of scenes in LOTR were shunted in.

 

[duats]

If flying cast and crew members up to London and building a set there conflicts with time or budgetary constraints, then what would you propose they do?

 

[Vangalad]

It would be frustrating and disturbing to have the actor behind the great wizard of the Harry Potter saga taking the role of another great wizard of the LOTR saga.Can't see it working...

 

[Kangi Ska]

I personally would never have picked Sir Michael Gambon to play Dumbledoor after the passing of Richard Harris. To me Peter O'Toole would have been a superior choice.(I do not know if this was ever considered or possible or if they were worried about the actors age & health) Gambon is a great actor. They could have made him look a lot more like the Richard Harris version & he could have played the character closer to the original. Instead the opposite occurred. They created a new version of Dumbledoor.

I would prefer that Christopher Lee not be replaced as Saruman if it is possible to work around his needs. I am sure, given the state of Weta's capabilities, along with the usual tricks of the trade, that this would be do-able. (As long as his situation remains stable over the time needed.) The role can be expanded or minimized Close ups could be done early and in England. Sets can be added later, action shots can use stunt doubles etcetera.

Finally: Saruman is not physically necessary to the telling of the story. After all the Necromancer/ White Council stuff is going to be totally created for the film. The literary sources are truly minimal.

 

[Eowyn of Penns Woods]

 

[Patty]

But only if he's not.

 

[AinurOlorin]

And just make it damned happen. Lol. But really, none of the principal cast has even left for New Zealand yet. Get Weaving, McKellan, Blanchet, Lee and Glorfindel [] (whomever he may be) in front of a damned bluescreen and film it first.

If flying cast and crew members up to London and building a set there conflicts with time or budgetary constraints, then what would you propose they do?

 

[AinurOlorin]

Followed immediately by Sean Connery. Hogwarts is in Scottland after all. And if you have seen Connery's brilliant and calmly clever monk portrayl in the movie In The Name of The Rose, you will understand. I felt Gambon played Dumbledore with too much anger and anxiety. However, I blame the director for that more than I do Michael., As you said, they could have played him closer to the mark Harris had set, and the willfully took him in a different direction.

I personally would never have picked Sir Michael Gambon to play Dumbledoor after the passing of Richard Harris. To me Peter O'Toole would have been a superior choice.(I do not know if this was ever considered or possible or if they were worried about the actors age & health) Gambon is a great actor. They could have made him look a lot more like the Richard Harris version & he could have played the character closer to the original. Instead the opposite occurred. They created a new version of Dumbledoor.

I would prefer that Christopher Lee not be replaced as Saruman if it is possible to work around his needs. I am sure, given the state of Weta's capabilities, along with the usual tricks of the trade, that this would be do-able. (As long as his situation remains stable over the time needed.) The role can be expanded or minimized Close ups could be done early and in England. Sets can be added later, action shots can use stunt doubles etcetera.

Finally: Saruman is not physically necessary to the telling of the story. After all the Necromancer/ White Council stuff is going to be totally created for the film. The literary sources are truly minimal.

 

[AinurOlorin]

The dialogue and details might be scant, Kangi, but one thing that is VERY clear is the involvement of Saruman. It is both clear and dramatic. It would not serve at all to go so far as to include the Council/Necromancer situation in the film and yet somehow overlook Saruman's influential role in it. If not for him, Gandalf would have prevailed on the Council to assail Dol Guldur a century earlier, and thus wreaked a far more substantive victory against Sauron (prior, of course, to the ultimate victory of the ring's destruction).

Finally: Saruman is not physically necessary to the telling of the story. After all the Necromancer/ White Council stuff is going to be totally created for the film. The literary sources are truly minimal.

 

[Kangi Ska]

might not appear at all. It would have to play out like the Council of Elrond and PJ said he had the most difficulty with that sequence of any in the three films. They could chose to show only the results of the White Council's decision. Which would be the events at Dol Guldur (This was discussed at length on a recent thread.) I am not saying this is what anyone wants, it is just a freezable work around that avoids the Saruman problem. There are several other tactics that could also applied to the situation with various levels of Saruman involvement. Again I am not saying this is what anyone wants. It is just a way to cope with realities.

 

[macfalk]

christopher lee cannot be replaced

 

[DeadRabbits]

I don't want anyone to replace Christopher Lee as Saruman, but what if disaster strikes? Due to Sir Christopher's health and health he may not be able to perform as the white wizard, and if that's the case then he must be replaced. Frank Langella would be a great alternative.

 

[carrioncrow]

I recently saw an old movie called 'The Beast Must Die' on tv..from 1974 featuring a young Michael Gambon.

I have a question about the movie. It is a werewolf movie. In one scene, all the people suspected of being werewolves are made to place a silver bullet in their mouths (apparently this would reveal them) ...one of the guests, before placeing the bullet on his tongue..wipes it off with his hankerchief...when i saw him do this, i said AHA!! there's the werewolf.!!!..he's done some slight of hand with the hankerchief, swapping out the silver bullet for something else before placing it in his mouth...but as it turns out, no, he was not the werewolf....and in the end he turns out to be one of the survivors of the carnage and walks away at the end of the movie with one of the damsels at his side...at which point i expected a twist ending where AHA!! it was revealed he had indeed done some slight of hand and IS a werewolf...but, no, they just walked away and the credits rolled.

my question: Was this just sloppy story telling/editing/red herring or maybe was there a sequel to 'The Beast Must Die' where it is finally revealed that the man (played by frequent Lee collaborator Peter Cushing) is AHA!! indeed a werewolf?

 

[Nesse]