Latest News on Lord of the Rings Extended Edition Blu-rays

[Blu Falcon]

http://bluray.ign.com/articles/108/1086145p1.html

New Content for LotR, Hobbit Blu-rays
Insiders have been talking about what fans can expect.
by Cindy White

April 26, 2010 - When the Blu-ray edition of Lord of the Rings was released on April 6, we heard from a lot of you that you were planning to wait until the extended edition came out. Last Friday provided a wealth of information about that potential release, from interviews with producer Michael Pellerin via Digital Bits and director/producer Peter Jackson via The Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy blog.

Pellerin, who worked on the original Special Extended Editions of The Lord of the Rings on DVD, talked about how the Blu-ray box set (for which he was a consultant) came together and the work that was done to make the films HD-ready. Most interestingly, he provided some hints as to what's in store for the eventual Extended Editions on Blu-ray.

Pellerin told the site that Jackson himself supervised the creation of new HD masters of the films for the Blu-ray release. There were existing HD masters available, but they had been created a decade ago when the films were released in theaters and were not up to today's standards. New Line had originally planned an ambitious box set that would have included the extended editions, but when the company was folded into Warner Bros. the decision was made to hold off until the full set could be released in conjunction with The Hobbit's debut in theaters. The theatrical edition that came out on April 6 was a compromise solution, getting a Blu-ray edition out there while reserving some content for the ultimate box set. It did have some technical tweaks, however, like color corrections and an improved audio presentation for The Fellowship of the Ring.

But here's where the excitement comes in. Pellerin revealed that he and Jackson have been planning an HD box set for nearly a decade, and set aside some content specifically for that eventual release.

"We didn't even have the room to fit everything on the original releases anyway," he said. "Truth be told, even with the six Appendices discs on the original Extended Edition DVDs, which we packed to capacity with content, we knew there would be a lot of material we just could not fit onto the original DVDs. So we purposefully held back some of the best stuff for later use. Every idea we had, Peter vetted and was placed into one of two categories: 1) Stuff to put it on the Extended Edition DVDs – or 2) Stuff saved for the HD Box Set."

- New Line

So what kind of stuff did they save?

"One of the crown jewels was to be Peter's documentary," Pellerin revealed. "Peter had always talked about creating his own feature-length documentary, that tells the whole process of creating LotR chronologically, from his – the filmmaker's – point of view: what he was thinking and why he made decisions, and inviting us to walk with him on that journey, from beginning to end."

The additional content will also include "anecdotes; shenanigans on and off screen; practical jokes, the gag and outtakes reels (which are myriad), and the stories only people who were there know about."

According to Pellerin, he and Jackson have about 20 hours worth of ideas and material set aside for the box set. He didn't reveal any potential release date, however, explaining that Warner Home Video is concentrating on the theatrical releases for the time being.

Meanwhile, it seems as though Jackson has similar plans for The Hobbit when it eventually comes out on Blu-ray and DVD. Jackson is producing and co-writing the two-part follow-up, with Guillermo del Toro at the helm. According to the Speakeasy report, Jackson and his team have been filming supplemental material for about a year now.

"[Director] Guillermo [del Toro] has been doing location scouts and design work, with the DVD people following him around, so we've shot 20 or 30 hours of DVD material so far and we're still a few months away from the first day of shooting."

Jackson also said that although he was "heavily involved" in the DVD process when New Line was handling the releases, now that Warner Bros. has taken over, they haven't involved him beyond giving him updates on what is being done. He added that he gets why fans might have felt let down by the recent Blu-ray release.

"The one thing we never did with the fans was make them feel cheated," Jackson told the site. "Back in the original release, we always put extra material in, extra documentaries – a lot of added value. I so totally understand why the fans would be upset; I don't disagree with them."

[kdo]

It's nice to know that Jackson at least sympathizes with the fans who were really hoping for more in regards to the LOTR debut on Hi-def...when it comes out, that ultimate box set (or whatever they decide to call it) should really be a treat!

[Jeremiah]

I think I need to go get a towel to mop up the drool on my desk. Excuse me now.

[Bunker]

All the cool extras in the world can't make up for a weak transfer. Is there any chance of the EE getting a brand new master?

[Matt.English]

I didn't think I could be any more excited about the EEs until I read this. Now the wait is going to be unbearable.

[Lord_Lemon]

Originally Posted by Bunker

All the cool extras in the world can't make up for a weak transfer. Is there any chance of the EE getting a brand new master?

This

[MarkWM]

I hope the extras in the EE are not regular DVDs like the current release.

[drtre81]

That article makes it sound like the current set is from the HD master made years ago and that the EE's will get the new remaster.

Interest in TE's =-1 out of 10.

[oyboe]

I'm still glad I have the TEs. Will sell them for a decent price a few months before the EEs come out.

[Lord_Lemon]

Originally Posted by drtre81

That article makes it sound like the current set is from the HD master made years ago and that the EE's will get the new remaster.

Interest in TE's =-1 out of 10.

Ya, it's unclear if the new HD Masters were used for the TE BD release; perhaps they are set aside for the EE. It is said that new masters were created because the old one was outdated but then it goes on to say that a comprise was made to basically hurry the TE release and just some "tweaks" have been made to improve the presentation. A "tweak" is a far cry from a entirely new remaster. I wish we could get some clarification.

[Kynch]

Originally Posted by Bunker

Is there any chance of the EE getting a brand new master?

I thought this was pretty obvious:

Pellerin told the site that Jackson himself supervised the creation of new HD masters of the films for the Blu-ray release. There were existing HD masters available, but they had been created a decade ago when the films were released in theaters and were not up to today's standards.

[saprano]

Jackson also said that although he was "heavily involved" in the DVD process when New Line was handling the releases, now that Warner Bros. has taken over, they haven't involved him beyond giving him updates on what is being done. He added that he gets why fans might have felt let down by the recent Blu-ray release.

"The one thing we never did with the fans was make them feel cheated," Jackson told the site. "Back in the original release, we always put extra material in, extra documentaries – a lot of added value. I so totally understand why the fans would be upset; I don't disagree with them."

Yeah......warner can go %$^))(&^ themselves.

WB- *Ring ring*

Jackson- Hello?

WB- Yeah hey buddy, were just putting the finishing touches on all 3 movies. We just have to add a little bit of DNR, Soften up the picture, change the color, Do some post processing and everything will be just dandy.

Jackson- No, no actually i wanted to to come Ta-

WB *click*

Jackson- Hello?

[ryoohki]

Originally Posted by saprano

Yeah......warner can go %$^))(&^ themselves.

WB- *Ring ring*

Jackson- Hello?

WB- Yeah hey buddy, were just putting the finishing touches on all 3 movies. We just have to add a little bit of DNR, Soften up the picture, change the color, Do some post processing and everything will be just dandy.

Jackson- No, no actually i wanted to to come Ta-

WB *click*

Jackson- Hello?

Well don't hit WB, WB is the best studio for Catalog title right now IMHO, with Sony Close. The problem reside with New Line. Altought Owned by WB, they still are acting by themself. Check the reviews , and 95% of new line release (even new movies) are afflicted by DNR. So hit New Line on the head, not WB

[saprano]

No, WB does all the transfers now.

And people need to stop bringing up "WB has the most splendid Catalog titles". Yes i know they do, but that has nothing to do with how they transfer their movies.

[Danielle Ni Dhighe]

Originally Posted by Bunker

All the cool extras in the world can't make up for a weak transfer.

Are people still moaning about what they perceive to be a weak transfer?

[joenostalgia23]

Originally Posted by saprano

Yeah......warner can go %$^))(&^ themselves.

WB- *Ring ring*

Jackson- Hello?

WB- Yeah hey buddy, were just putting the finishing touches on all 3 movies. We just have to add a little bit of DNR, Soften up the picture, change the color, Do some post processing and everything will be just dandy.

Jackson- No, no actually i wanted to to come Ta-

WB *click*

Jackson- Hello?

Actually Jackson approved the new HD masters. I'm not sure about the DNR, but he definitely did change the color palette for scenes(with the director of photography).

[joenostalgia23]

Originally Posted by Bunker

All the cool extras in the world can't make up for a weak transfer. Is there any chance of the EE getting a brand new master?

Really, only Fellowship of the Ring is kind of weak. It's still better than a lot of BDs. Return of the King is reference quality IMO.

[jesse94]

Originally Posted by Bunker

All the cool extras in the world can't make up for a weak transfer. Is there any chance of the EE getting a brand new master?

here is good chance it will be a new transfer since it's not the same prints and they have a lot of additional/extended scenes. Some shots have been cg-retouched. I watched Fellowship so many times that I know.

[Adam.C]

always gotta make me excited

[NYorker]

I wonder if we can get Christopher Lee to dress up as Saruman and pay WB execs a visit to persuade them to release the EE sooner than later...