Two butterfly species' "Eye of Sauron" wing markings just earned them a Lord of the Rings-inspired name.
As reported by the BBC, the newly-discovered butterflies were added to the "Saurona" genus, which is named after The Lord of the Rings' chief antagonist, Sauron. Specifically, the genus' moniker is derived from Sauron's "Eye of Sauron" form, created by J.R.R. Tolkien and immortalized on the big screen in Peter Jackson's Oscar-winning adaptation of the author's beloved fantasy trilogy. The two butterfly species currently listed under the Saurona genus are Saurona triangular and Saurona aurigera, and scientists at London's Natural History Museum hope that the pop culture cache of their name will lead to further research and the genus' expansion.
Sauron serves as the primary villain in both Tolkien's Lord of the Rings novels and Jackson's films, however, he rarely appears in person in either version of the story. That said, there's a chance that fans will get to see the Dark Lord in action in one of Warner Bros.'s recently announced slate of new Lord of the Rings movies, which will apparently focus on events not dramatized in previous franchise installments. Little else is known about these as-yet-untitled Middle-earth outings, although Jackson and his writing partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens have since confirmed that Warner Bros. has "kept [them] in the loop every step of the way."
LotR Stars Discuss the Franchise's New Movies
Several of members of the original Lord of the Rings cast have also weighed in on Warner Bros.'s plans to expand the franchise, including Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis. Wood, who portrayed Frodo in all three films and made a cameo in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, was cautiously optimistic about the news, noting that "great art can come from commerce." Serkis was similarly opened-minded about the prospect of additional Middle-earth movies, saying he would consider reprising the Gollum role if invited to do so. "I would, of course, jump at the chance to have that relationship rekindled... Middle-earth has never left me," he said.
Other parties are presumably less thrilled by Warner Bros.'s Lord of the Rings announcement than Wood and Serkis, not least of all Amazon Studios. The studio currently produces streaming series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which will run in direct competition with any Lord of the Rings films Warner Bros. releases. Amazon Studios CEO Jennifer Salke touched on this in a recent interview, indicating that she's not worried about The Rings of Power's future prospects. "We're extremely proud of [The Rings of Power], and invested long term," she said. "So, we definitely think there's enough fan love to sustain ours for a long time."
The Lord of the Rings trilogy is currently streaming on HBO Max.
Source: BBC