Lord of the Rings: ROTK Extended-Version To Be Released in December

The December 14 home video release of director Peter Jackson’s extended version of the Academy Award-winning The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King will feature 50 additional minutes of new footage, a new musical score and a cameo appearance of Jackson being felled by an arrant arrow.

The 200-minute theatrical version of King has sold more than 10 million combined DVD and VHS units since its May 25 release, according to several industry sources.

The extended-version home-video releases of the first two films in the Rings trilogy, Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers, have sold about 5 million combined DVD and VHS units each, generating high sales expectations for the $39.99 extended King release.

The extended four-disc DVD and double-cassette VHS will feature 300 additional special effects shots and scenes among the 50 additional minutes of never-before-seen footage, giving the new extended version a 250-minute running time.

The limited collector’s edition DVD of the King extended version includes a fifth disc that contains a 52-minute feature, “Howard Shore: Creating the Lord of the Rings Symphony — A Composer’s Journey Through Middle-Earth.” The bonus feature includes excerpts of live concert footage of the Lord of the Rings Symphony recorded with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. There’s also a hand-painted polystone sculpture of Minas Tirith and its accompanying keepsake box.

All DVD and VHS extended versions of “King” will be featured in a widescreen format with Dolby Digital EX 5.1 Surround Sound, DTS ES 6.1 Surround Sound and stereo surround sound.

The extended-version DVD also offers four audio commentaries. One is from Jackson, while the other three include members of the cast and the production crew — among them actors Elijah Wood, Sean Astin and Orlando Bloom and Academy Award winners Richard Taylor (makeup), Howard Shore (music) and Randy Cook (visual effects).

Source: CNN.

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