Two 'LOTR' DVDs planned

[J.A.F._Doorhof]

Peter Jackson's "Lord Of The Rings: Fellowship Of The Ring" will be released on DVD in two separate editions.

The film, which has already raked in $710 million in worldwide grosses, will first arrive on DVD in August. Entertainment Weekly reports that the initial version will be a straightforward release of the film's theatrical cut.

In the fall, fans can expect a multi-disc director's cut, with an extra half-hour of footage, including some Hobbit songs, background on Viggo Mortensen's Aragorn character, and an extended gift-giving scene involving Cate Blanchett's Elf Queen character, the report said.

It's worth noting that the release of the deluxe edition is likely timed to capitalize on the planned November opening of the second film in the trilogy, "The Two Towers." The campaign to hype that project officially begins on March 29, when theatrical showings of "Fellowship" will begin featuring a three-and-a-half minute trailer for "The Two Towers."

Entertainment Weekly reports that "Towers" will boast about 600 effects shots, 80 more than "Fellowship."

Gollum, the original keeper of the titular ring, who was glimpsed only briefly in "Fellowship," will be a major player in "Towers," travelling with Frodo (Elijah Wood) and Sam (Sean Astin) to Mount Doom, EW reports. Actor Andy Serkis acted the role in a lycra jumpsuit, which provided data for computer animation teams who later filled in Gollum on screen.

Shelob, the giant spider that battles Frodo at the climax of author J.R.R. Tolkien's novel "The Two Towers," has been shifted to the third film in the series, "The Return Of The King." The reason? There wasn't enough for Frodo and Sam to do in the third film, EW says.

The report also reveals that John Rhys-Davies, who portrays the Dwarf Gimli, will provide the voice of the talking tree Treebeard, which will be a computer-generated character. Brad Dourif will portray Grima Wormtongue, the report said.

The report added that the pivotal battle of Helm's Deep will be shaped from up to 20 hours of footage shot by Jackson. Sound effects for that sequence were recently recorded by Jackson at a New Zealand cricket match, EW reports.

[Bo_Jolais]

4 versies


The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring will be released in no less than four versions this year. On 8/6, separate widescreen and pan & scan versions will be release, each a two-disc set with identical extras features. Disc one includes the film presented in English Dolby Digital Surround EX and Dolby 2.0 surround (sorry, no DTS). Disc two is where all the goodies are at, and retail will be $29.95 for either the pan & scan or widescreen editions. The extras to be found on disc 2 include:

3 in-depth documentaries that reveal the secrets behind the production of this epic adventure, including "Welcome to Middle-earth" in-store special as shown by Houghton Mifflin, "The Quest for the Ring" as debuted on the FBC Network, and "A Passage to Middle-earth" as premiered on the Sci-Fi Channel

15 featurettes originally created for lordoftherings.net, which explore the locales and cultures of Middle-earth and include interviews with cast members Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Liv Tyler and others.
Exclusive 10-minute behind-the-scenes preview of the next The Lord of the Rings theatrical release, "The Two Towers"

Enya "May It Be" music video

An inside look at the special extended DVD edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Preview of Electronic Arts' video game "The Two Towers"

Original theatrical trailers and TV spots

Exclusive online content only available to DVD-ROM users via a special website set to go live on street date
Then, on 11/12, New Line will release a mega four-disc set, with a new extended cut of the film created by Peter Jackson himself, and featuring over 30 minutes of additional footage. This cut of the film will be Rated R due to some extended violence, and no retail price has yet been set for this release. The now nearly four-hour film will be spread over the first two discs and presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen (alas, no sound format information is yet available.) Unfortunately, all the supplements for the 4-disc set are still in production, so final details were not revealed. However, the disc is planned to include 3 audio commentaries and another four hours of bonus material. It is also not yet known if all the features on the "standard" two-disc set edition will also be included here.

Last but not least, New Line is also planning on release a special limited edition gift set of the 4-disc set, with two bookend statuettes by sculptor Sideshow Weta, the National Geographic "Beyond The Movie" DVD, and several collectible Decipher game cards. There were also rumors floating around that after all three films are done and released, a fifth mega-box set of all three with possible additional material may be released, which would be sometime in 2004.

                                                

[J.A.F._Doorhof]

P&S is geen versie  

Wachten, wachten, wachten.................
Het wordt intressant dit jaar.

MvrGr.
Frank

[Bo_Jolais]

Nu toch DTS op 4-disc versie ?

We've contacted New Line after receiving a lot of questions from readers about this very issue. They tell us that The Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring - Special Extended Edition 4-disc set due in November will TENTATIVELY feature a DTS audio option in addition to the Dolby Digital 5.1 EX track. Before you bombard us with more questions, no... we don't know if it will be ES 6.1. Having DTS on the extended version is ONLY planned at this time - there are no other details (official or otherwise) available. New Line can only confirm that they are indeed working to have DTS on the 4-disc set. A lot depends on the actual production (the tentative nature of this is likely due to concerns over disc space/quality issues - making sure the film looks great split over 2 discs with both DTS and Dolby Digital audio included). New Line has, however, told me that they expect to confirm the DTS option for sure sometime later this summer. Still, tentatively very good news. Keep your ring fingers crossed...

[J.A.F._Doorhof]

Laten we het hopen.

DTS zou gewoon op alle DVD's moeten zitten, maar ja hopenlijk gaat het niet ten koste van de beeldkwaliteit, het blijft een lange film.

MvrGr.
Frank

[cinepaulis]

Van DVD Talk komt het volgende:

Here's a break down of what we know about the three releases. Since the 'Extended Version' is still 'in production' New Line did not release all the features which will appear on that DVD or in their 'Limited Edition Gift Set'.

August 6 - Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring DVD. (Theatrical Version)

Don't be fooled by the title, the August 6th release of Lord of The Rings IS a Special Edition, but is being called the 'Theatrical Version' to distinguish it from November DVD Release. The 'Theatrical Version' will be released in separate Anamorphic Widescreen and Full Frame editions, both featuring Dolby Digital 5.1 EX and Dolby 2.0 audio and will have 2 DVDs with the following features:
• Three Lord of The Rings Documentaries: 'Welcome to Middle-earth', 'The Quest for the Ring' and 'A Passage to Middle-earth' (which is the Sci-Fi Channel's special).
• Fifteen Featurettes (from LordofTheRings.net) including interviews with cast and crew.
• 'Exclusive Early Look' at The Twin Towers with Peter Jackson, with behind-the-scenes footage not available anywhere else.
• Enya 'May It Be' music video
• Preview of the 'Extended Version DVD
• Preview of the Electronic Arts Lord of The Rings Video Game
• Lord of The Rings - The Two Towers TV Spot and Trailers
• Original Lord of The Rings theatrical trailers and TV spots
• Exclusive online content for Lord of The Rings DVD owners with DVD-ROM access.
MSRP for the 'Theatrical Version' of Lord of The Rings is $29.95 but expect to see it pre-order online for around $19.99.


November 12- Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring DVD. (Extended Version)

The 'Extended Version' of Lord of The Rings is an entirely new cut of the movie (presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen). Peter Jackson and company have gone back and recut The Lord of The Rings which on the 'Extended Version DVD' will feature 30 minutes of additional footage, effects and more recut into the movie. What's really exciting about this is that they've actually produced these 30 new minutes with new effects and more newly composed and recorded score (which is expected to get an upgraded 'R' rating). New Line is treating the 'Extended Version' like 'an entirely different film' . Now here's the tricky part.... New Line did not release the complete details and features of the 4 DVD 'Extended Version', so no one can be 100% sure if any of the features of the 'Theatrical Version' will be on the 'Extended Version' and from what we understand, the 'Extended Version' DVD set probably won't also include the theatrical cut of the movie (but as the details haven't been announced we can't be 100% sure. The first date they told retailers they could start accepting orders for the 'Extended Version' is June 4
MSRP for the 'Extended Version' was not announced but we were told that it should be $39.95


November 12- Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring DVD. (Limited Edition Gift Set)

If 2 versions of The Lord of The Rings isn't enough. New Line is also planning a 'Limited Edition Gift Set' which includes the 4 DVD 'Extended Version', two bookend statuettes designed by Sideshow Weta, the DVD for National Geographics 'Beyond The Movie - The Lord of The Rings' with some never before released extras, and some Lord of The Rings 'collectible Decipher game cards'. No price was announced for the Limited Edition Gift Set, but expect it to be spendy.

So what's our take on The Lord of The Rings DVD? The 4 DVD 'Extended Version' really looks like the DVD to get and Peter Jackson (who is a huge fan of DVD) seems to be really focused on making the 'Extended Version' the 'ultimate' Lord of The Rings experience. We cringe at the idea that DVD fans would need to buy BOTH versions of the movie to get all the special features so hopefully New Line will include all the 'extras' from the 'Theatrical Version' on the 'Extended Version' DVD.

We DO NOT expect that the 'Extended Version' of the DVD will also include the Theatrical cut of the film, but that's OK. With everything that's going into producing the 'Extended Version' it most likely will become the preferred cut of the film for most fans to watch and enjoy.


groeten,
Paul

[J.A.F._Doorhof]

He, FrankL.

Toch die docu  
Da's goed nieuws.

Dat wordt dus doorsparen voor de 4 DVD versie.

MvrGr.
Frank

[Sum1]

Die National Geographic docu zit alleen maar bij de Limited Edition Gift set... dus niet standaard bij de 4 dvd versie...

Het klinkt wel alsof er nieuwe extra's bij de NG-docu opzitten, maar waarschijnlijk als ik die 4 dvd set heb wordt ik toch zo overspoeld door officiele extra's dat deze toch niet meer zo interessant zijn...

Die boek-steunen en spelkaarten interesseren me niet zo, dus ik denk dat ik maar voor de "plain vanilla" 4 dvd set ga...

Kan ik nu alvast van die NG-docu genieten en tegen die tijd me volledig op de extra's van de 4 dvd set storten...