You Can Almost Put a Ring Around June 29

The extended editions of the The Lord of the Rings movies will be released in a 15-disc Blu-ray collection in late June.

Although distributor Roadshow Entertainment’s press release cites June 29 for NZ, this may change.

Here are the edited highlights of the announcement:

Following last year’s successful Blu-ray premiere of the original theatrical versions of The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy, Roadshow Entertainment will release all three of Peter Jackson’s visual masterpieces in their extended editions from 29 June, 2011 as a stunning 15-disc Blu-ray collection, The Lord of the Rings Motion Picture Trilogy: Extended Edition (Blu-ray).

Sound + Vision Magazine ranked the 2010 release of the Trilogy as #5 in their Top 10 Blu-rays of the Year, noting that it was one of only two releases to earn five stars for sound and calling it “breathtaking”.

Based on the length of each extended edition feature film and in order to present each film in the highest possible picture quality, each film will be presented on two Blu-ray discs, in English 6.1 DTS-HD MA audio, with a new transfer of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring that was remastered from the original 2K digital files.

The set boasts more than 26 hours of additional content, highlighted by the rare behind-the-scenes documentaries created by Costa Botes, the filmmaker given unprecedented access to the set of each production by Jackson.

His unique approach to storytelling – allowing the footage to speak for itself – results in an intimate and candid backstage pass to the challenges, preparations and camaraderie that went into shooting one of the greatest cinematic adventures of all time.

The feature-length documentaries, with more than four-and-a-half hours of footage, focus on a number of complexities and circumstances that tested the filmmakers, cast and crew during the shoot, as well as a look at some of the comical antics and personal moments on the set.

The Costa Botes documentaries accompany acclaimed special features by Michael Pellerin from the original extended cut releases to make this the most comprehensive The Lord of the Rings compilation ever. (All three DVDs were honoured with Saturn Award wins for Best DVD in their release years – 2002, 2003 & 2004, plus multiple trade awards).

Now they are offered on Blu-ray with more than two hours of extended scenes that were carefully selected under the supervision of director Peter Jackson.

The Fellowship of the Ring

Disc 1 (Blu-ray)

• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition Part 1
• Commentary with Director & Writers
• Commentary with Design Team
• Commentary with Production and Post Production
• Commentary with Cast

Disc 2 (Blu-ray)

• The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition Part 2
• Commentary with Director & Writers
• Commentary with Design Team
• Commentary with Production and Post Production
• Commentary with Cast

Disc 3 (DVD)

• The Appendices Part 1: From Book to Vision
• Peter Jackson Introduction
• JRR Tolkien: Creator of Middle-earth
• From Book to Script
• Visualising 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

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Disc 6 (Blu-ray)

• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Extended Edition Part 1
• Commentary with Director & Writers
• Commentary with Design Team
• Commentary with Production and Post Production
• Commentary with Cast

Disc 7 (Blu-ray)

• The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Extended Edition Part 2
• Commentary with Director & Writers
• Commentary with Design Team
• Commentary with Production and Post Production
• Commentary with Cast

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

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Disc 11 (Blu-ray)

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Extended Edition Part 1
• Commentary with Director & Writers
• Commentary with Design Team
• Commentary with Production and Post Production
• Commentary with Cast

Disc 12 (Blu-ray)

• The Lord of the Rings: The Return of The King Extended Edition Part 2
• Commentary with Director & Writers
• Commentary with Design Team
• Commentary with Production and Post Production

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 Interactive
• 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.