You might be wondering why the wizard pondering his orb looks so familiar. Well, that’s because the image is a depiction of Saruman, the famed wizard corrupted by power in Lord of the Rings ...

Why Could the Stranger Be Saruman? Ultimately, we don’t know who the Stranger is, aside from being an Istar, or a wizard. Five wizards came to Middle-earth, so the Stranger could be any of them.

Two of the screens show Saruman looking into his palantir and calling down the forces of nature on his enemies, two give a better view of his incredibly detailed Orthanc tower, and the last pair ...

New Line Cinema. Hinds—a great actor who can match the intensity and onscreen presence of the late Christoper Lee— is playing a powerful dark wizard weary of another Istar.

Plus, if the Stranger is Saruman, it also makes Gandalf’s journey and decisions all the more important and emphasizes an ongoing theme in Tolkien’s works: every being has the power to choose ...