Leading up to the December 17 release of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the final film in Peter Jackson’s epic dramatic trilogy, New Line Cinema will release a limited number of 35mm prints of the Special Extended Editions of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers in theaters across North America. The special screening series will culminate in an unprecedented marathon of back-to-back presentations of the Extended Editions followed by a special screening of The Return of the King. The announcement was made today by Rolf Mittweg, the studio’s president and chief operating officer, worldwide distribution and marketing.
“These films have undergone an incredible journey, from production to theatrical release around the world, to great success in their extended form on DVD,†Mittweg said. “The release of the third film affords us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to give audiences a compelling new theatrical experience of Peter Jackson’s sprawling vision for this trilogy.â€
From December 5 – 11, the studio will release 100–150 35mm prints of the Special Extended Edition of The Fellowship of the Ring in cities across the country. On December 12 – 15, these prints will be replaced with Special Extended Edition prints of The Two Towers. On Monday, December 8, and Monday, December 15, both films will be presented back-to-back. Then, on Tuesday, December 16, participating theaters will show a one-time-only marathon of both Extended Edition prints followed by an 11pm screening of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The official opening of the film will commence at 12:01 AM on Wednesday, December 17, 2003.
Advance ticketing for the screening series is expected to commence this fall.
New Line Cinema presents the epic drama The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, co-written, directed and produced by Peter Jackson. The third film in the highly acclaimed trilogy is produced by Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh and Jackson. The screenplay is by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Jackson based on the book by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Returning cast-members include (in alphabetical order) Sean Astin, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Billy Boyd, Brad Dourif, Bernard Hill, Christopher Lee, Ian McKellen, Dominic Monaghan, Viggo Mortensen, John Noble, Miranda Otto, John Rhys-Davies, Andy Serkis, Liv Tyler, Karl Urban, Hugo Weaving, David Wenham, and Elijah Wood.
UK casting is by John Hubbard and Amy MacLean with U.S. casting by Victoria Burrows. The costume designers are Ngila Dickson and Richard Taylor. Special make-up, creature, miniature and digital effects are by Weta Ltd., NZ. Jim Rygiel is the visual effects supervisor. Music is by Howard Shore. Jamie Selkirk is the film editor. Grant Major is the production designer. Andrew Lesnie, A.C.S. is the director of photography. The film is co-produced by Rick Porras and Jamie Selkirk. Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne are the executive producers, along with Mark Ordesky. Produced by Barrie M. Osborne, Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is based on the Book by J. R. R. Tolkien. The screenplay is by Fran Walsh & Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson. The film is directed by Peter Jackson.
