The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Movie
STUDIOWarner Bros
RELEASED2003

'One ring to rule them all. One ring to find them. One ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.' In the conclusion of J.R.R. Tolkien's epic masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings, as armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied only by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.

Knowledge

Page 1 of 4

The Elder Scrolls V: SkyrimSource

'My Precious' from a Hagraven

During 'A Night to Remember', a hagraven named Moira mutters 'my precious' while trying to hold onto a wedding ring the player needs, a direct callback to Gollum's obsession with the One Ring in The Lord of the Rings.

The Witcher 3: Wild HuntSource

Smigole Serkis and His Precious Spoon

Somewhere in Blood and Wine there's a note written by a character called Smigole Serkis, mourning the loss of his beloved golden spoon. It's a two-for-one joke, poking fun at both Gollum's alter ego Smeagol and Andy Serkis, the actor who brought him to life.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two TowersSource

One Giant 14-Month Shoot

Jackson didn't make these films back to back like a normal trilogy. All three were shot as one continuous production in New Zealand, running for about 14 months, so nothing had to be rebuilt or recast between films.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingSource

Real Soldiers, Broken Props

For the Battle of the Black Gate, the crew needed so many extras they brought in members of the New Zealand Armed Forces. Turns out real soldiers get a little too into a fake battle, and they ended up snapping a lot of the prop weapons.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingSource

A Safety Handle for Faramir's Horse

When Faramir gets dragged back to Minas Tirith by his spooked horse, the crew were nervous enough that they rigged a custom release into the saddle. David Wenham held a handle so he could free himself if the horse bolted for real, though he never had to use it.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingSource

Two Rings, Two Believers

After the trilogy wrapped, Peter Jackson gifted a One Ring prop to both Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis, and each of them genuinely believed his was the only one out there. Sorry to break it to you two, but you were both had.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingSource

Jackson's Own Spider Phobia Built Shelob

Peter Jackson is genuinely terrified of spiders, and he leaned right into it when designing Shelob. Every detail people find most unsettling about her, the fangs, the size, the way she moves, comes from what actually scares him.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingSource

Wrap Gifts That Meant Something

On the last day of shooting, the cast were handed keepsakes tied to their characters. Miranda Otto got Eowyn's dress and sword, Liv Tyler took home Arwen's dying dress, and Orlando Bloom walked away with one of Legolas's bows.

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the KingSource

Gimli Was the Tallest Fellowship Member

It sounds backwards, but John Rhys-Davies, the man playing the dwarf, was actually the tallest actor among the nine members of the Fellowship. Every trick in the camera book went into making him look like the shortest.