The Lord of the Rings books III and IV, and as such the eponymous towers could be either Orthanc and Barad-dûr, or Minas Tirith and Barad-dûr, or Orthanc and Cirith Ungol. Tolkien was initially opposed to titles being given to each two-book volume, preferring instead the use of book titles: e.g. "The Lord of the Rings": Vol. 1, "The Ring Sets Out" and "The Ring Goes South"; Vol. 2, "The Treason of Isengard" and "The Ring Goes East"; Vol. 3, "The War of the Ring" and "The End of the Third Age". However these individual book titles were later scrapped, and after pressure from his
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is a 2003 epic fantasy adventure film co-produced, co-written, and directed by Peter Jackson based on the second and third volumes of J. R. R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings". It is the third and final instalment in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, following "" (2001) and "" (2002), preceding "The Hobbit" film trilogy (2012–14). Released on 17 December 2003, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" became one of the most critically and commercially