[Lil'freeper]

I don't ~think~ they can close out RoTK without finishing him off, even in the theatrical versions.

Well, maybe they can. They set the ents to guard him and move the story elsewhere. Then they can skip the Souring of the Shire entirely and leave the audience to assume that Saruman is safely kept. A possibility, hopefully remote.

But I trust PJ'll find a way to wrap things up nicely... even if it doesn't match the books word for word.

[My back yard]

I wonder if it could be PG/R-rating related, and the scene is too bloody, of his death?