RotK speculations (SPOILERS)

[EricNoah]

Now that we've all seen TTT (well, I haven't, but I'm just about as "spoiled" as one can get), what do we think is going to come next?

Leave now if you don't want your minds soiled with knowledge!!













In my opinion, in spite of the title, RotK will not be quite "as much" Aragorn's movie as TTT is. From what I recall he's off-camera for a long time after Paths of the Dead, making a nick-of-time arrival toward the end.

I think we'll see Merry and Pippin shine, as each plays a vital role in their new relationships with kings.

Eowyn, of course, will fulfill her destiny (with the help of Merry). That should be one of the coolest scenes EVAR.

We'll see a showdown between Faramir and Denethor, and Denethor's ultimate destruction. I wonder if they'll change the sequence of events (Faramir spends much of book 3 in a coma or something, right? That's not too exciting...).

How do you think Saruman will die? I think we'll see Grima off him, just as the book has him do in the Scouring of the Shire but since that's not in the film it will have to happen at Orthanc.

On the Frodo/Sam side we look forward to Shelob; Sam's temporary posession of the ring; the rescue of Frodo; the last leg of the journey to the mountain; and the final bit of the quest.

Good god, it's getting me goofy just thinking about it!

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

In my opinion, in spite of the title, RotK will not be quite "as much" Aragorn's movie as TTT is. From what I recall he's off-camera for a long time after Paths of the Dead, making a nick-of-time arrival toward the end.

I think they'll speed that up, but probably show the events at the Stone of Erech, and when the host of the dead take down the Black fleet (which will spoil the surprise when it arrives).

I think we'll see Merry and Pippin shine, as each plays a vital role in their new relationships with kings.

Eowyn, of course, will fulfill her destiny (with the help of Merry). That should be one of the coolest scenes EVAR.

Concur.

We'll see a showdown between Faramir and Denethor, and Denethor's ultimate destruction. I wonder if they'll change the sequence of events (Faramir spends much of book 3 in a coma or something, right? That's not too exciting...).

I think they'll work this into the chronology as a pause before the final battles and the climax at Mt. Doom. ROTK will still be filled with lots of battle scenes.

How do you think Saruman will die? I think we'll see Grima off him, just as the book has him do in the Scouring of the Shire but since that's not in the film it will have to happen at Orthanc. /quote]

I bet the Grima/Saurman killing happens at Orthanc, right after the palantir gets chucked out the window ...

On the Frodo/Sam side we look forward to Shelob; Sam's temporary posession of the ring; the rescue of Frodo; the last leg of the journey to the mountain; and the final bit of the quest.

Yep, mucho coolness here.

I also suspect Anduril will be delivered to Aragorn before he takes the Paths of the Dead (perhaps delivered by Arwen herself?). I wonder if they'll do the scene where Aragorn reveals himself to Sauron through the palantir? Probably not, for space reasons, though I think it is important to the development of Aragorn's character.

One of my fears, though, is that to save time they will adjust the timing of the battles so that the climax at Mt. Doom occurs at the same time as the Battle of the Pelenor fields, rather than at the next battle in front of the gates. It gets all the high-tension events together (perfect for the movie), but doesn't allow the breif break where the Mouth of Sauron hands over Frodo's armor, and everyone thinks he's dead. Then again, supposedly the Mouth of Saun is in the film, so this scene might happen -- I just hope they edit the scenes so that those who haven't read the books think Frodo is well and truly dead/captured, before they cut back to Frodo/Sam.

 

[EricNoah]

Re: Re: RotK speculations (SPOILERS)

I also suspect Anduril will be delivered to Aragorn before he takes the Paths of the Dead (perhaps delivered by Arwen herself?).

Somehow I doubt Aragorn will get to see her again in the flesh until after he is king. But I'd bet that he does get the sword before Paths of the Dead. (In the book he gets a banner made by Arwen just before he heads off.)

 

[drothgery]

Not that I really see the need for spoiler warnings about a fifty-year-old book, but...

Now that we've all seen TTT (well, I haven't, but I'm just about as "spoiled" as one can get), what do we think is going to come next?

Leave now if you don't want your minds soiled with knowledge!!













Eowyn, of course, will fulfill her destiny (with the help of Merry). That should be one of the coolest scenes EVAR.

[obDisclaimer: I haven't seen the movie of TTT yet.]

... and in all probability that scene will be substantially longer than it was in the books, where there was about a page of taunting and two paragraphs of combat.

Also here's to hoping PJ will leave out Eowyn's declaration that she's dropping the Warrior Princess gig. Maybe it's modern sensibilities intervening, but that was pretty much the only part of her life that she enjoyed, pre-Faramir, and giving it up for a good man (who doesn't seem the type to mind if his wife kicks ass) seems more than a little odd.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

Here's what I think:

Arwen will deliver the banner and sword herself. Her showing up and reunion with Aragorn will serve as an obvious push to Eowyn to go over the edge, much as she does in the books. We won't see the banner, but we will see the paths of the dead - up to the point of the Stone of Erech. We'll see the fight for the fleet in flashback as Aragorn (or Legolas and Gimli) explains it afterwards.

I think there will be plenty of time to see Faramir and Eowyn's romance. It only needs a few scenes to flesh out, and only a few need to be reasonably long (as long as the Arwen-Aragorn scenes in FoTR and TTT).

We'll see the battle at the Gates. I've seen pictures of the Mouth of Sauron, so I'm positive he'll be there. Timing-wise, we'd have to know that Frodo and Sam are OK by the time that the Mouth shows them the hobbits' stuff.

Candidates for bits to be cut:

The wood-men showing the Rohirrim a shortcut through the woods.

Pippin and the son of the Guard of Minas Tirith (though not the guard himself, he may have only a couple of lines).

The healing-lady who sparks Gandalf's memory regarding "the hands of a healer." She'll get perhaps only a few lines. Gandalf berating her and the Hospital chief is just too good to not put in the movie, but it'll be small.

 

[Desdichado]

In my opinion, in spite of the title, RotK will not be quite "as much" Aragorn's movie as TTT is. From what I recall he's off-camera for a long time after Paths of the Dead, making a nick-of-time arrival toward the end.

I predict that all that action that was summarized briefly by Legolas and Gimli will be actually showed, though. I suspect we'll still see plenty of Aragorn.

I think we'll see Merry and Pippin shine, as each plays a vital role in their new relationships with kings.

I hope so, after their demotion to mere cameos in this latest movie.

Eowyn, of course, will fulfill her destiny (with the help of Merry). That should be one of the coolest scenes EVAR.

EVAR!!!11!!! is right!!!!!1111!!

We'll see a showdown between Faramir and Denethor, and Denethor's ultimate destruction. I wonder if they'll change the sequence of events (Faramir spends much of book 3 in a coma or something, right? That's not too exciting...).

Probably spend much more time arguing with Denethor rather than sitting around being sick and comatose, I agree.

How do you think Saruman will die? I think we'll see Grima off him, just as the book has him do in the Scouring of the Shire but since that's not in the film it will have to happen at Orthanc.

I seem to remember seeing a production shot long before FotR came out with Saruman impaled on some spikes at the base of Orthanc or something like that. I doubt he'll survive the "Voice of Saruman" episode, as without the whole "Scouring of the Shire" episode, he will merely become a loose end otherwise.

On the Frodo/Sam side we look forward to Shelob; Sam's temporary posession of the ring; the rescue of Frodo; the last leg of the journey to the mountain; and the final bit of the quest.

All of the above. I can't imagine why much (if any) of this would be changed, except maybe to beef up the action a little.

Good god, it's getting me goofy just thinking about it!

No kidding! I sure am glad these are coming out once a year, at least!

 

[EricNoah]

It occurs to me that one reason we see and hear a lot of Gimli in TTT is that (from what I recall) he doesn't have much to do in book 3.

 

[Lurks-no-More]

One little thing:

I want Shagrat and Gorbag in the third movie, dammit! Orcs are people too, you know.

 

[Assenpfeffer]

One little thing:

I want Shagrat and Gorbag in the third movie, dammit! Orcs are people too, you know.

We did get Ugluk and Grishnakh in TTT.

 

[shilsen]

I may be wrong (and I really hope I am), but I'm considering the possibility that some of the scenes people are discussing here may not actually show up. Some pretty significant cuts had to be made in both FOTR and TTT, and if ROTK spends enough time in Gondor and especially on the Denethor-Faramir subject, I think it's a possibility that the whole riding of the Grey Company, the Paths of the Dead, and the Corsairs of Umbar may be cut. Part of the reason I'm also considering this is because Eomer's lines of song just before he realizes Aragorn is leading the fleet are given to Theoden in TTT. PJ could very easily have Aragorn leading the Rohirrim to Gondor. I'm also wondering if the whole Eowyn + Merry vs. the Witch-King (as Eric says, "one of the coolest scenes EVAR") sceene will show up as expected. What if Aragorn kicks Nazgul ass instead? I love the character and Viggo's portrayal of him, but that is one scene I want absolutely the same as the book. On the other hand, what may happen is that Frodo and Sam's journey will get less screen time, since a lot of it may be tougher to cover on the screen and keep audience attention than other parts of the book.

So what does everyone think? Any spoilers about major ROTK changes to the plot?