The Lord of the Rings trilogy is already an epic-length cinematic experience, but there was even more cut footage that caught up with four major characters after the adventure ended. J.R.R. Tolkien’s trio of legendary fantasy novels essentially established the literary genre, and have captured the imaginations of readers for well over half a century.

The imaginative Middle-earth has inspired countless authors to invent their own fantastical lands, and it’s hard to deny that nearly every fantasy book published since The Lord of the Rings owes a debt of graтιтude. Though early attempts to bring the stories to life were decent, it wasn’t until Peter Jackson’s ambitious trilogy that the series was finally adapted properly.

Capturing the sweeping grandeur and the clever ideas of Tolkien’s books, Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy was not only a blockbuster cinematic experience, but it also scored high marks from critics. Part of the success of the films came from Jackson’s keen eye for editing, and he knew exactly the right moments to keep and which to throw away.

To please fans, many of the extra scenes were restored for longer editions of the movies, and debate rages about which cut of The Lord of the Rings is superior. Despite a mountain of additional footage added back in, there were actually more scenes that were axed that have never seen the light of day.

A Cut Lord Of The Rings Epilogue Showed What Happened To Legolas, Gimli & More

The Return of the King satisfactorily ended the beloved trilogy of films, and it also had a mountain of additional footage that was not in the theatrical cut. User @donmarshall72 on TikTok shared video of behind-the-scenes interviews with Peter Jackson in which he discussed a mysterious epilogue sequence that didn’t make it into the theatrical or extended cuts.

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According to Jackson, the sequence was meant to be something of a montage, showing what happened to Gimli, Legolas, Eowyn, and Faromir. From the brief clips available, it seems as if the scenes were not particularly extensive, and may have only been one or two quick sH๏τs of each character in their post-ring days.

Gimli inspects gems in the Mines of Moria, while Legolas wanders the forests joyously. A Reddit post on the subject also features a BTS image of Miranda Otto and David Wenham as Eowyn and Faramir, presumably at their wedding. All the scenes take place after the destruction of the ring, but some before the hobbits return to the Shire.

Jackson explained that the scenes were sH๏τ, which means there’s a chance that they might be released in the future. It’s unclear how complete they are, though, and they could just be a few snatches of visuals that were cut early in the edit. They may only exist in a rough state without sound, color correction, or VFX.

Why Peter Jackson Was Right To Cut LOTR’s Additional Ending Footage

Even though the extended editions were well-received, even they needed to make the cuts in order to preserve their cinematic integrity. The J.R.R. Tolkien books will always exist to amaze new generations of readers, and the movies are essentially translations. The ending of Return of the King was excellent, and it didn’t leave any major questions unanswered.

Because Frodo is the main character, his return to The Shire is most important, and it can be ᴀssumed that the surviving members of the Fellowship went on to lead interesting lives. Aragorn also gets considerable screen-time because the movies establish him as a primary secondary protagonist. Characters like Gimli and Legolas are beloved, but they don’t need endings.

Furthermore, Eowyn and Faramir also didn’t need to take up too much time during the trilogy’s denouement, and their romance was actually completely cut from the theatrical version. While it was restored in the extended edition, it can be ᴀssumed that they are together, and it doesn’t need to be hammered home with a wedding scene during the epilogue.

Movies aren’t like books, where the author is free to write endlessly about each character, and even the longest film is streamlined. Narrative clarity and structure are key to filmmaking, and adding too much extraneous footage detracts from the whole. There was no room for the epilogue in the theatrical or extended cuts, and that’s likely for the best.

LOTR’s Cut Ending Footage Would Have Skipped The Biggest Moments Anyway

While fans might be calling for the epilogue to be restored, the additional footage is actually surprisingly unimportant compared to the book’s finale. The second-to-last chapter involves the so-called “Scouring of the Shire” in which the returning hobbits defeat Saruman for the last time as he poses as a villain who has seized control of The Shire.

Jackson didn’t even include the “Scouring”, opting instead to truncate the major events and shoehorn them in earlier. As for characters who are actually in the unused epilogue, Gimli and Legolas’ footage is quite boring compared to their ongoing adventures in the book. Their trip to the Undying Lands after Aragorn’s death is much more compelling, but was not sH๏τ.

Perhaps the biggest reason that the epilogue was cut was that it is underwhelming compared to what Tolkien wrote after the ring was destroyed. The epilogue would have been a frustrating half-measure, hinting at something bigger but not delivering. Then again, The Lord of the Rings‘ final film might have been dozens of hours long if every moment was included.