INFO FROM THE NYC Barnes & Noble event
The whole q&a was interesting. Peter imparted the information about the DVD and trailer which we've heard before. He did say that every theater still screening FOTR on March 22nd will be sent a new final reel containing the 3 1/2 minute preview of TTT which will feature some "amazing" things. He was quite adamant that this preview be seen only in the theater, as a present to the fans who have seen the movie multiple times. A 1 minute proper trailer will be aired in theaters and on television later in the year.
Also, he said that the deluxe DVD -- not "director's" cut -- will be out in the fall, and will contain the extra 30 minutes. Specifically the "gift giving" scene, more of the
Legolas/
Gimli relationship, some extra development of
Aragorn's character, and additional character development in general.
His objection to the phrase "director's cut" seems based on a fear of implying that the theatrical release did not meet his approval. However, he went on to say that he impressed upon New Line the need to get the gift giving scene 'out there' so that the audience will understand the origin of the gifts which will be come important later on in the story. He specifically referred to the "rope" and the "phial."
He was very considerate in explaining that fans will encounter greater story alteration in TTT. He said that TTT in general is not long enough to provide material for a whole film. Consequently, he says that he, Fran, and Phillipa wrote additional scenes expanding upon the
Frodo,
Sam,
Gollum triangle, and that
Faramir will also have an increased role in the film. No further explanation than that, tho.
Shelob will not make an appearance until ROTK, but he says the
Ents are "awesome" and that we will get to see them storm
Isengard in TTT, rather than hear about it after the fact.
The
scouring of the shire is out. PJ said it simply was not practical to retain it, as the story arc is rooted in Frodo's quest to destroy
the ring. He said that while understanding the reasons -- personal and literal -- that the passage was important to
Tolkien, that it adds an unnecessary coda to the story that he had always, even as a reader, found "awkward." He said that the scenes in
Galadriel's mirror were his way of paying "homage" to the material, as showing the possible results if the quest should fail. He gave no indication of how he was going to get around this in the final movie, but we should probably start speculating now, as it seems certain.
He gave quite a few details, which we've read in various
places, about the process of motion capturing Andy SerkisSerkis' movements which will become the "skelatal foundation" of the CG Gollum. He said that in many ways SerkisSerkis' performance is so good, it's a shame that Gollum has to be CG. All the same, he implied that we will be blown away. Additionally, he said that they are still finding gaps in the story as they edit, which will require "pick up" filming both this year and next, to complete scenes as yet unwritten, to flesh out both TTT and ROTK. A final word on editing, Fran said that the script for TTT was written to intercut between the three main
fields of action:
Merry/
Pippin/Ents, Aragorn/Legolas/Gimli, and Frodo/Sam/Gollum. Although they are not yet near completion of cutting the film, PJ indicated that this will probably be the finished result, rather than following Tolkien's strict division of the action.
Howard Shore, although not questioned closely, was quite open about the fear and challenges of taking on so huge of a project. One thing I forgot to mention above, Shore will be composing and recording an additional 30 minutes of music for the DVD, rather than recycling themes from the completed score of FOTR. PJ cited this as yet another example of how they are breaking all the rules of what is usually done in the movie machine.
