[Wordsmith]

Especially when you consider how quickly they'll probably cover the trudge across Mordor. But still, there's A LOT to cover:

Palantirs, the death of Saruman, and the ride to Gondor

Merry, Squire of Gondor, Dernhelm, and the Ride of the Rohirrim

Paths of the Dead and the Corsairs of Umbar

Introduction to Minas Tirith and Denethor, Pippin of the Guard

Wounding of Faramir, the siege, the breaking of the gates, Denethor's suicide

Death of the Witch King and the battle of the Pelennor

March on the black gates

Shelob and the escape from Cirith Ungol

Frodo and Sam disguised as orcs

The destruction of the Ring

The crowning and wedding of Aragorn

Wrap up and the Grey Havens

Wow. THAT'S a movie!

[The Iguana]

In three hours? It's perhaps not that much.

In the book, ROTK is actually fairly short once you take out the appendices. If you chop most of everything after the wedding...it's manageable. Even if you add in the confrontation with Saruman, the palantir, and Shelob.

It is unclear what they will do in regards to Saruman's fate. They may leave it unaddressed.

I suspect one reason that Shelob was moved back to ROTK is that there's a real imbalance in storyline in the third book between Frodo/Sam and the rest of the Fellowship. Especially if "Flotsam and Jetsam," "The Voice of Saruman," and "The Palantir" (three full chapters) are all being moved in some form to the third movie.

I don't object so much to such adjustments given that Tolkien himself was displeased with the idea of publishing his work in three volumes. In the end, both the movies and the books must be judged in totality.