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Combined images of Christopher Lee as Saruman in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and Ciaran Hinds as an unidentified Wizard in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2
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Movies & TV

Is Saruman in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2?

Image of Leon Miller
Leon Miller
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Published: Aug 5, 2024 07:40 am

Ciarán Hinds is set to appear as a Wizard in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power‘s second season – could he be playing a familiar face? Is legendary baddie Saruman in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2?

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Related: Who Is Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2’s New Character, Mirdania?

Is Saruman in The Rings of Power Season 2?

Amazon MGM Studios is yet to officially confirm Ciarán Hinds’ role in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2. All we know is he’s portraying a Wizard (or Istar), like Daniel Weyman’s Stranger (who is himself almost certainly Gandalf). That said, the evidence that Hinds will play Saruman in The Rings of Power‘s next batch of episodes is starting to mount.

For one thing, Hinds’ costume, hair, and makeup (briefly glimpsed in the above promo) all align with what you’d expect from a younger incarnation of the White Wizard. In the Lord of the Rings books, author J.R.R. Tolkien described Saruman as still having “strands of black” in his silvery beard and flowing locks. Tolkien’s other works also note that Saruman’s mop and facial fuzz was originally dark. Hinds sports a black beard and hair in The Rings of Power, and the former contains wisps of white – a coincidence? Probably not.

Then there’s the apparent motivation of Hinds’ Wizard to consider. According to showrunners J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, the unnamed Istar starts out Season 2 searching for the Stranger. Given the likelihood that the Stranger is really an amnesiac Gandalf, it would make sense for Saruman – as head of the Istari – to track him down and straighten him out!

Related: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 SDCC Trailer Breakdown

When Does Saruman Arrive in Middle-earth in the Books?

Saruman is the first Wizard to reach Middle-earth in Tolkien’s canon, and arrives roughly 1,000 years into the Third Age. That’s around the same time Sauron begins his second tilt at conquering Middle-earth, and it’s no accident: Saruman and his fellow Wizards are there to help stop him! These timings don’t align with Rings of Power‘s own chronology, which introduces its Wizards in the Second Age. The show also implies that Gandalf – the last Wizard to hit Middle-earth’s shores – showed up first, not Saruman.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2 arrives on Prime Video on August 29, 2024.

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The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
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Image of Leon Miller
Leon Miller
Leon is a freelance contributor at The Escapist, covering movies, TV, video games, and comics. Active in the industry since 2016, Leon's previous by-lines include articles for Polygon, Popverse, Screen Rant, CBR, Dexerto, Cultured Vultures, PanelxPanel, Taste of Cinema, and more.