It seems we might finally get to journey through Middle Earth in high definition this year. The Digital Bits is reporting that Amazon is taking pre-orders for The Lord Of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy in Blu-ray. A street date has not been specified, but it was expected to be a December holiday release. These pre-orders indicate these will just be the theatrical releases, and not the extended versions, but the site's sources have an explanation why.

Sources close to director Peter Jackson have informed me that he's holding back the extended editions for an elaborate "ultimate" box set release closer to the debut of the new Hobbit films - that's why these are set to be theatrical only. Obviously, not everyone is going to want them as such, but they're designed to satisfy fans who want something in the meantime. So simply be aware that if you want to wait for the more elaborate release, you'll get one eventually. Just FYI.

In the meantime, the theatrical BD set will apparently be set with a $99.98 SRP, although Amazon's price is around $70. Take a look at the cover art for the theatrical BD trilogy below.

We'll be sure to keep you posted on any updates on this new BD boxed set.