One Set to Rule Them All: Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Extended Edition Blu-ray on June 15

After releasing the theatrical editions of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy on Blu-ray in modest editions in 2010, Warner has finally officially confirmed the June 15 release date for the acclaimed "Lord of the Rings: Extended Edition." This set has been listed on Amazon for over a week now, where it has been accepting pre-orders, but without specifics on the supplements. Warner makes it official with this morning's press release.


"Lord of the Rings: Extended Edition" features the longer, richer "definitive" versions of the films that Peter Jackson created for home video to include subplots, sequences and scenes that could not be included in the theatrical versions, which by contractual agreement had to be limited to three hours apiece. Jackson didn't simply add scenes back into the film, however; he re-edited each film, reweaving the narrative and adjusting the pace, to accommodate the new scenes, and he added new special effects and new music to the experience. Jackson considered the "Extended Edition" his definitive version of the films.

In addition to the longer films, the original "Lord of the Rings: Extended Edition" DVD featured the lavish "Appendices," an epic behind-the-scenes documentary that chronicled every aspect of the production

The Blu-ray debut also includes all of the commentary tracks from the DVD edition and the three behind-the-scenes documentaries created by filmmaker Costa Botes during the filming of the trilogy that have previously been exclusive to a limited edition DVD release featuring both cuts of the film.

Complete details on the lavish compendium of supplements (quoted directly from the press release) are after the jump:

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

In this first part of the Trilogy, the young hobbit Frodo Baggins inherits a ring; but this ring is no mere trinket. It is the One Ring, an instrument of absolute power that could allow Sauron, the dark Lord of Mordor, to rule Middle-earth and enslave its peoples. Frodo, together with a Fellowship that includes his loyal hobbit friends, humans, a wizard, a dwarf and an elf, must take the One Ring across Middle-earth to Mount Doom, where it first was forged, and destroy it forever. Such a journey means venturing deep into territory manned by Sauron, where he is amassing his army of Orcs. And it is not only external evils that the Fellowship must combat, but also internal dissension and the corrupting influence of the One Ring itself. The course of future history is entwined with the fate of the Fellowship. The film won four Oscars® for Best Visual Effects, Cinematography, Makeup and Original Score.

 

Special Features:

Disc 1 (Blu-ray)

·    The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Feature Extended Edition Part 1

·    The Lord of the Rings: War in the North – The Untold Story Trailer

·    Commentary with Director & Writers

·    Commentary with Design Team

·    Commentary with Production and Post Production

·    Commentary with Cast

·    BD-Live™ enabled

 

Disc 2 (Blu-ray)

·    The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Feature Extended Edition Part 2

·    Commentary with Director & Writers

·    Commentary with Design Team

·    Commentary with Production and Post Production

·    Commentary with Cast

·    BD-Live™ enabled

 

Disc 3 (DVD)

·    The Appendices Part 1 From Book to Vision

·    Peter Jackson Introduction

·    JRR Tolkien: Creator of Middle-earth

·    From Book To Script

·    Visualizing the Story

·    Designing and Building Middle-earth

·    Middle-earth Atlas Interactive

·    New Zealand and Middle-earth Interactive

 

Disc 4 (DVD)

·    The Appendices Part Two From Vision to Reality

·    Elijah Wood Introduction

·    Filming The Fellowship of the Ring

·    Visual Effects

·    Post Production: Putting It All Together

·    Digital Grading

·    Sound and Music

·    The Road Goes Ever On…

 

Disc 5 (DVD)

·    Behind-the-Scenes Documentary Created by Filmmaker Costa Botes during filming of
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

 

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

In their parallel journeys, the Fellowship will stand against the powerful forces spreading from the Two Towers -- Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where Saruman has bred a lethal army of 10,000 strong; and Sauron’s fortress at Barad-dûr, deep within the dark lands of Mordor. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers culminates in the astonishing battle for the refuge, Helm’s Deep, the Kingdom of Rohan’s ancient large stone fortress, besieged by Uruk-hai warriors. The film won two Oscars: Best Sound Editing and Best Visual Effects.

 

Special Features:

 

Disc 6 (Blu-ray)

·    The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Feature Extended Edition Part 1

·    The Lord of the Rings: War in the North – The Untold Story Trailer

·    Commentary with Director & Writers

·    Commentary with Design Team

·    Commentary with Production and Post Production

·    Commentary with Cast

·    BD-Live™ enabled

 

Disc 7 (Blu-ray)

·    The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Feature Extended Edition Part 2

·    Commentary with Director & Writers

·    Commentary with Design Team

·    Commentary with Production and Post Production

·    Commentary with Cast

·    BD-Live™ enabled

 

Disc 8 (DVD)

·    The Appendices Part 3: The Journey Continues

·    Peter Jackson Introduction

·    JRR Tolkien: Origin of Middle-earth

·    From Book to Script: Finding the Story

·    Designing and Building Middle-earth

·    Gollum

·    Middle-earth Atlas Interactive

·    New Zealand as Middle-earth

 

 Disc 9 (DVD)

·    The Appendices Part 4: The Battle for Middle-earth

·    Elijah Wood Introduction

·    Filming The Two Towers

·    Visual Effects

·    Editorial: Refining the Story

·    Music and Sound

·    The Battle for Helm's Deep is Over…

 

Disc 10 (DVD)

·    Behind-the-Scenes Documentary Created by Filmmaker Costa Botes during filming of
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

 

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
The final battle for Middle-earth begins. Frodo and Sam (Sean Astin), led by the mysterious Gollum (Andy Serkis), continue their dangerous mission toward the fires of Mount Doom in order to destroy the One Ring. Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) struggles to fulfill his legacy as he leads his outnumbered followers against the growing power of the Dark Lord Sauron, so that the Ring-bearer may complete his quest. The film, which won Academy Awards® in all 11 categories for which it was nominated, took wins for Best Picture, Director, Editing, Art Direction, Costume Design, Visual Effects, Makeup, Adapted Screenplay, Sound Mixing, Original Song and Original Score.

 

Special Features:

 

Disc 11 (Blu-ray)

·    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Feature Extended Edition Part 1

·    The Lord of the Rings: War in the North – The Untold Story Trailer

·    Commentary with Director & Writers

·    Commentary with Design Team

·    Commentary with Production and Post Production

·    Commentary with Cast

·    BD-Live™ enabled

 

Disc 12 (Blu-ray)

·    The Lord of the Rings: The Return of The King Feature Extended Edition Part 2

·    Commentary with Director & Writers

·    Commentary with Design Team

·    Commentary with Production and Post Production

·    BD-Live™ enabled

 

Disc 13 (DVD)

·    The Appendices Part 5: The War of the Ring

·    Peter Jackson Introduction

·    JRR Tolkien: The Legacy of Middle-earth

·    From Book to Script

·    Designing and Building Middle-earth

·    Home of the Horse Lords

·    Middle-earth Atlas

·    New Zealand as Middle-earth

 

Disc 14 (DVD)

·    The Appendices Part 6: The Passing of an Age

·    Introduction

·    Filming The Return of the King

·    Visual Effects

·    Post-Production: Journey’s End

·    The Passing of an Age

·    Cameron Duncan: The Inspiration for Into the West

 

Disc 15 (DVD)

·    Behind-the-Scenes Documentary Created by Filmmaker Costa Botes during filming of
The Lord of the Rings: The  Return of the King