I am nearly finished the Return of the King, book 3 of Lord of the Rings. This is the fourth time to read it. As I have only 3 chapters to go and Frodo has achieved his quest and everyone is off home, my mind started to wander...(as it tends to...)

I wondered what would the movie version by Peter Jackson (go Kiwis!) due later this year have as the ending. I reckon it will be with either Frodo losing his finger or with the Marriage of Aragorn to Arwen.

Clearly the movie version will need to be different, but I can't see the story going on to the point where Frodo leaves to Valinor. That's my prediction. (I don't care if I am surprised by Jackson, in fact it's probably better!)

What is your prediction for the ending?

I've heard that Frodo goes back to hobbiton, but this is much shorter than in the book, and even leaves to Valinor before the movie finishes.

And i'm slightly (no not slightly, really) surprised hearing an aussie say go kiwis :confused: .

Don't expect that comment from me ;) . I would think that it will end with Sam thinking of Mr. Frodo. Right to the end. It ties up rather well, but it will miss out on the appendicies. I can guarentee it. Oh well, it should be fun.

Actually, I finished reading the book last night and I thought that it would be possible that the story may go on, but movie wise I am not sure. Jackson did need to change some bits here and there. Let's wait in quivering slightly salivating expectation...

I can promise you all that the movie will atleast go back to hobbiton, I have seen clips of the movie and even seen some of the sences for when the battle of hobbiton takes place.

I can't see any reason whatsoever why the movie shouldn't track the book in terms of ending.

It's a fine ending.

"I'm home" :)

The beginning and ending of LotR are clearly alot weaker than the other parts of the series. The story ends atop Mount Doom, that dragging the ending out like Tolkien does has no point really. He could and should have summed it up with a short epilogue of a few pages.

If what you say is true and that they will go back to Hobbiton and bla bla bla I am disapointed in Jackson. He had the guts to cut out most of the incredible boring first 100 pages of the first book and I think he should have the guts to cut out most of the completely unescessary dragged out ending of the series.

I heard, though from only a semi reliable source, that Peter Jackson (and the other people who chose what to cut and stuff) said (paraphrasin here)

"Well the return to hobbiton was one of our favourite scenes, but due to time constraints we had to cut it". In short, although Frodo will return to hobbiton, the 'sharky' part is cut. I'm guessing that the sailing off to Valinor part will still be in though.

This is all from a friend/s who were reading various interviews. If someone could validate whether or not the 'sharky' part is cut or not i would be grateful.

Well, it'll probably go into the DVD version...

Well, since the 'Sharky' part was filmed but then cut, I have to wonder how Saruman's and Wormtongue's demises are going to be handled?

Seemingly that 'wizard on a spike' picture was a deliberate hoax by PJ to throw us off. I've scoured the net since then, and the whole thing is under a really tight lid (kept tight by criminal sanctions I imagine).

Any rumors?

Probably a stupid tearjerker with Aragorn dieing and Arwen crying herself to death.


Grr.

Arwen die.

(Wolvie, yes you can kill Arwen. But not now. We don't want PJ suing us, don't we?)

We can expect a different ending. The Two Towers ending in the movie was before it ended in Book II, probably to extend the action because the main conflict ends early in Book III.

The reason the 2nd movie ended before the book did (in my opinon that is) is because the 3rd book is much shorter than the rest of the books (not including the appendix) so they needed more things to put in the third movie.
Saruman on the spike?... yes i can remember seeing that in the paper. I have no idea what that is about but as i said before i swear that they will return back to hobbiton but not for as long as they did in the book.

I think that it'll go the whole way. The ending of Return of the King was brilliant. Marriage will come first of course.

I don't want to see a movie *based* on LotR. I want to see "The Return of the King" and not a different version of it. However, I liked "The Two Towers" but only as a movie. I didn't like it as a LotR movie for that reason: almost everything was changed. I think that PJ should stick to the book.

I sort of expected that Jackson would deviate from the book. The extended DVD version of Fellowship is extremely interesting in that they all explain how they put the film together (and you get the extra juicy pieces. I've even forgotten what was not in the extended version now!) and the reasoning behind why certain sections were left out or changed. Most of these were for those people who go to see the film without having read the book, and there are a lot of people in this category. They like the film as it is and don't really need the book to back it up or explain it.

I really like the films so far eventhough they are "heterodox".

Ruler. Do you have any links to sites that may give some other clues?

No, sorry i don't at the moment, I've never been one for searching on the web, but i'll try to find something. :)

(After spending about 20 minutes looking) :( Sorry i couldn't find a thing. Although if i remember right the news paper article (which came out 2000 if you want to try finding it your self) didn't say anything about that sence. Apart from that there are some new 'chapters' appearing in the LotR movies.

[ May 16, 2003, 11:55: Message edited by: Ruler of the Known Universe ]

I have been watching the commentaries on the Extended Fellowship DVD. Peter Jackson explains that what you see in the Mirror of Galadriel is the Scouring of the Shire. That is all that will be in this movie trilogy. No scouring as he put it.

I think the first movie was a really good film, doing a great tribute to the book. The second film, in my opinion, sucked (that Viggo just can't act). if the third film can pull off the same quality as the first, I'll be happy.

http://www.infoceptor.com/ibb/index.php?act=ST&f=7&t=5564&s=

Eze, you haven't read the books, have you. Read them and find out what happens with Aragorn and Arwen.

Really, if you're going to bag characters in a film, read their whole story in the book.

i always absolutely hated the ending to LOTR book. Like i hated the bit with the elves going off.

All this buissness about sailing off the lands in the west is really sad and makes me think of euthanasia, it just doesn't make sense. Live forever? what! oh god.
Anyway, if jackson finishes the film with them all sailing in a boat into the grey mists then i will just weep, it will just add another layer to my confusion and dismay about the ending and this so called 'western land'

If someone can accuratly explain what it is i would be all ears.

@ Sir Dargorn - Have you read the Silmarillion? If not, read it, it explains the concept. I'd rather not spoil it for you here, so I will not post any more. If you have read the Silmarillion and still have the questions, PM me and I'll try to offer my explanation.

dmc is right. Read Silmarillion.
As for the ending, it is the nicest ending I've ever seen. It quite moved me.

I've been thinking about it and I've decided that it will have to end with them sailing off to the west. Right through out the movies Elrond and Gladriel (sp?) have been going on and on about how the 3rd age is ending and the elves will soon have to depart. It just wouldn't be complete if they don't tie this up in the end. Wouldn't be like Peter at all.

My understanding as well is that there won't be any invasion of Shire in the movie. Though I've no official information to back this thought up, of course (who would). It's hard to say what the ending will be. I'm not sure as to how many times the walk to the gray harbour (whatever it is in English, readers of the books should know what I mean) was hinted at in the movies, but I do remember that the walk the elves took there in FoW was only shown in EE (though in TT Elrond did mention a few words of it, as Arwen left with the other elves). So there is a good possibility that the movie will end in some sort of party with Gandalf perhaps hinting at his time and purpose being up and that he has to leave. Invasion of shire, if it ever was filmed (and as Saruman was the core-reason for that, I doubt it because of the obvious difficulties it would cause with his death), will probably be in EE. The ships leaving from the grey harbors, plus Gandalf's & Frodo's last goodbyes will obviously be exclusive to EE. Let's hope it'll turn out good though.

As for the films still, the first one was as good as it was because it had so much to offer. It was the first movie perhaps in the history of mankind to bring such amazing sights of a real fantasy world live in such a way. The second book even didn't include the same feeling of mystical adventure that the first one did. I watched the second film 3 times, and even though I was disappointed after the first, the last 2 times gave me more insight as to what was actually done right instead of how it could've been done... what perhaps I would've done. The "death" of Aragorn was something I still don't accept, as it was just so uselessly stupid (the dreams of Arwen were important yes, but they could've been shown through other means). Otherwise it was made with the same amount of skill and determination as #1 was, only in a less appealing setting and environment.