SPOILERS: Some things we'll get to see in Return of the King -- Projections based on what we know
January 06, 2003 - Monday
Here’s a small list of a few things from the book that will almost certainly be in ROTK next December. There’s been some questions about whether some locations from the books would be skipped by PJ and his team, but the book ‘The Making of The Lord of the Rings’ gives us a little more insight.
- We will certainly see the Paths of the Dead in ROTK. The author of the book, Brian Sibley, has visited the miniature builders and claims he saw one of them work on the set of the Paths of the Dead. Exactly how the set will look, is not mentioned. However, Sibley does mention black polystyrene walls, with destroyed builings carved out of them, concisting of several stairs, doors, towers and domes.
- The Corsairs of Umbar, who attack the south of Gondor at sea in the book, will also most probably be featured in the film. ‘The Making of the Lord of the Rings’ discusses a Corsair ship being built by a model maker, John Baster. The ship will have a lot of armour, inlcuding crossbows, arrows, and some sort of sharp edges on both sides to cut the ropes of enemy ships. This amazing model even features a skipper’s toilet at the very end of the ship!
- The large battering ram called Grond, used by the Orcs to attack Minas Tirith in the final book, will also appear in the film. Grond was made as a large wooden contruction with a scary wolf-like creature captured in it. His head is used as the battering ram. The wolf-like creature will look aggressive, almost like trying to escape. His mouth and eyes will be able to move, and he will be pulling his shackles.
- The room above the Cracks of Doom in the Orodruin mountain, where Frodo has to destroy the Ring, will be extensively shown in the final film. Obviously, it is a set featuring a lot of fire, explosions and lava.
- The Grey Havens, where all the Ringbearers finally leave Middle-earth, will have an architecture a bit similar to that of Rivendell and Lothlorien. Says Alan Lee (conceptual designer): “However, the architecture is adjusted to buildings of stone, unlike the wooden builings of Rivendell.”
- The Houses of Healing at Minas Tirith, where the wounded from the Field of Pelennor are taken care of, will also be in the film. But hey, I guess that was pretty obvious… 
The design will probably look a lot like Alan Lee’s impression: a small, peaceful courtyard with grass and trees, surrounded by nice archways.
- For the Battle of the Field of Pelennor, about 700 horsemen (and horses) were used, in addition the the hundreds of other soldiers. So this promises to be a big helluva battle, ey? 
Well, that’s it for now. I hope I didn’t spoil all the surprises for you now! If you happen to have some ROTK facts of yourself (from a reliable source) please share it with the rest of us! Good luck waiting for december everyone…
Reported By: Minalcar_Romendacil