The Mystery of Lurtz Revealed?
Leonides

Well, I've heard a lot of people are all up in arms about who this Lurtz guy is. First of all, I want everybody to just take a deep breath and calm down. Repeat after me, "The Lord of the Rings will make Star Wars look like a weekend at the lavatory." That's right, just two or three more time... very good. That, by the way, is a quote from Mr. Ian Holm. It should bring you all hope.

Anyhow, moving on to the question at hand. Who is Lurtz? What is he doing in the films?

Well, if you poor souls are still scouring your Tolkien resources for the name, you can stop. Lurtz isn't a character from the novels. He's a character that Peter Jackson has (semi-) invented. However, several sources have informed me that his name will NOT be mentioned in the film. So why does he even have a name? Because he DOES serve several purposes:

1. He will be one of the first Uruk-hai the audience encounters. There is a reported scene where Lurtz is the leader of a rebellion against the regular Isengard Orcs (right after they are "hatched" no less) and beat the living daylights out of them. This will contrast for the audience the difference between the two strains.

2. He is brought up to Saruman's tower and we see him exposed to sunlight -- something the other Orcs cannot do. Saruman will do some talking to him, and he will probably be the leader of the band of Uruks that go after the Fellowship at Amon Hen.

3. At Amon Hen he will finish off Boromir by shooting 4 or 5 arrows into him at point-blank range.

4. Reports then indicate that he will be killed (some say beheaded) by Aragorn after arriving on the scene.

As far as can be determined, his roll doesn't have more then two lines. He is simply named because he killed a main character and he has a bit more screentime then the other Orcs (plus they needed a cool name to place on the merchandise). He is not replacing Gorbag or any of your other favorite Orcs from The Two Towers.

So don't worry too much.

View a Picture of Lurtz at Elostirion