Lord of the Rings 15-disc boxset due for release in June

Lord of the Rings boxset

Yes, you read that headline correctly – Entertainment in Video has confirmed it will release an extended (!) 15-disc boxset of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy in the UK on June 28th.

There's no price yet for this mammoth collection, which will contain six Blu-ray discs, with each extended cut split across two of the discs to ensure the very best picture and sound quality.

All three films will have DTS-HD Master Audio 6.1 soundtracks, and the press release also says the collection will feature "a new transfer of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring which was remastered from the original 2k digital files".

Why only 2K? Because that was the resolution of the final editorial master, apparently.

The remaining nine discs are all DVDs and feature the extensive collection of bonus features from the previous Extended Edition DVD releases, as well as Costa Botes' behind-the-scenes documentaries, which were shot in standard definition.

That amounts to a staggering 26 hours of special features.

Here's what the entire collection will contain:

Disc 1 (Blu-ray)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition Part 1
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North - The Untold Story Trailer
Commentary with Director & Writers
Commentary with Design Team
Commentary with Production and Post Production
Commentary with Cast

Disc 2 (Blu-ray)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition Part 2
Commentary with Director & Writers
Commentary with Design Team
Commentary with Production and Post Production
Commentary with Cast

Disc 3 (DVD)
The Appendices Part 1 From Book to Vision
Peter Jackson Introduction
JRR Tolkien: Creator of Middle-earth
From Book To Script
Visualizing the Story
Designing and Building Middle-earth
Middle-earth Atlas Interactive
New Zealand and Middle-earth Interactive

Disc 4 (DVD)
The Appendices Part Two From Vision to Reality
Elijah Wood Introduction
Filming The Fellowship of the Ring
Visual Effects
Post Production: Putting It All Together
Digital Grading
Sound and Music
The Road Goes Ever On...

Disc 5 (DVD)
Behind-the-Scenes Documentary Created by Filmmaker Costa Botes during filming of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Disc 6 (Blu-ray)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Extended Edition Part 1
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North - The Untold Story
Trailer
Commentary with Director & Writers
Commentary with Design Team
Commentary with Production and Post Production
Commentary with Cast

Disc 7 (Blu-ray)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers Extended Edition Part 2
Commentary with Director & Writers
Commentary with Design Team
Commentary with Production and Post Production
Commentary with Cast

Disc 8 (DVD)
The Appendices Part 3: The Journey Continues
Peter Jackson Introduction
JRR Tolkien: Origin of Middle-earth
From Book to Script: Finding the Story
Designing and Building Middle-earth
Gollum
Middle-earth Atlas Interactive
New Zealand as Middle-earth

Disc 9 (DVD)
The Appendices Part 4: The Battle for Middle-earth
Elijah Wood Introduction
Filming The Two Towers
Visual Effects
Editorial: Refining the Story
Music and Sound
The Battle for Helm's Deep is Over...

Disc 10 (DVD)
Behind-the-Scenes Documentary Created by Filmmaker Costa Botes during filming of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Disc 11 (Blu-ray)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Featured
Extended Edition Part 1
The Lord of the Rings: War in the North - The Untold Story
Trailer
Commentary with Director & Writers
Commentary with Design Team
Commentary with Production and Post Production
Commentary with Cast

Disc 12 (Blu-ray)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of The King
Extended Edition Part 2
Commentary with Director & Writers
Commentary with Design Team
Commentary with Production and Post Production

Disc 13 (DVD)
The Appendices Part 5: The War of the Ring
Peter Jackson Introduction
JRR Tolkien: The Legacy of Middle-earth
From Book to Script
Designing and Building Middle-earth
Home of the Horse Lords
Middle-earth Atlas
New Zealand as Middle-earth

Disc 14 (DVD)
The Appendices Part 6: The Passing of an Age
Introduction
Filming The Return of the King
Visual Effects
Post-Production: Journey's End
The Passing of an Age
Cameron Duncan: The Inspiration for Into the West

Disc 15 (DVD)
Behind-the-Scenes Documentary Created by Filmmaker Costa Botes during filming of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

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Andy Clough

Andy is Global Brand Director of What Hi-Fi? and has been a technology journalist for 30 years. During that time he has covered everything from VHS and Betamax, MiniDisc and DCC to CDi, Laserdisc and 3D TV, and any number of other formats that have come and gone. He loves nothing better than a good old format war. Andy edited several hi-fi and home cinema magazines before relaunching whathifi.com in 2008 and helping turn it into the global success it is today. When not listening to music or watching TV, he spends far too much of his time reading about cars he can't afford to buy.