The next upgrade for New Line Cinema’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy on DVD is on the way with an extended version of the Academy Award-winning The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Featuring nearly an hour of never-before-seen footage, a new musical score and a cameo appearance by director Peter Jackson, the new disc is slated to arrive at retail on Dec. 14.
The new 250-minute release will be available as a four-disc DVD set and as a double-cassette VHS pack. There will also be a limited collector’s DVD edition featuring a fifth disc containing a 52-minute featurette titled Howard Shore: Creating the Lord of the Rings Symphony–A Composers Journey Through Middle-Earth, as well as a hand-painted polystone sculpture of Minas Tirith and its accompanying keep-sake box. Collectors will be able to pick it up for $79.92.
Included in the 50 minutes of new footage are 300 special effects shots and additional scenes including a final appearance of the evil wizard Saruman (Christopher Lee), Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) being confronted by the Mouth of Sauron, and an emerging romance between Faramir (David Wenham) and Eowyn (Miranda Otto). Extra features will include audio commentaries by Jackson; stars Elijah Wood, Sean Astin and Orlando Bloom; composers Richard Taylor and Howard Shore; FX guru Randy Cook and others.
Even though fans have already snatched up 10 million copies of the first Return of the King DVD release, expect them to be heralding the King once again with their wallets. Extended versions of Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers sold around 5 million copies combined.
The Return of the King extended double-cassette VHS will list at $24.99 and the four-disc DVD boxed set will retail for $39.99.
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