![slashing water battle realm slashing water battle realm](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/WZDquAw4OTk/hqdefault.jpg)
![slashing water battle realm slashing water battle realm](https://www.gamespot.com/a/uploads/scale_landscape/gamespot/images/2002/pc/featurepreviews/wotw/2142625-01.jpg)
In the novel, Saruman and Grima escape from Orthanc and Isengard a few weeks after Gandalf destroys Saruman's staff. Saruman attacks Grima, who redeems himself by stabbing Saruman in the back and dies from an arrow by Legolas while Saruman, thrown off by both the breaking of his staff and the stabbing, falls off the top of Orthanc and lands on a spiked wheel, dropping the Palantir into the water for Pippin to take it.
![slashing water battle realm slashing water battle realm](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/T3wF0nw4Qc4/hqdefault.jpg)
In the extended cut of Return of the King, Saruman and Gandalf have a confrontation where Saruman tries to first worm his way back into Theoden's good graces before attacking Gandalf, who breaks Saruman's staff and therefore destroys his powers as the leader of the Istari (Wizards). In the theatrical cut of Return of the King, Saruman and Grima is left to rot in the tower of Orthanc under the watchful eyes of Treebeard and the Ents and the Orthanc Palantir is found by Pippin just lying conveniently in the flooded grounds.
![slashing water battle realm slashing water battle realm](https://img.gamewith.net/img/183808091419807196823739a87bb8c9.jpg)
#Slashing water battle realm movie#
The other prominent story-arc in the novel that is far different in the Movie than the original text is the Saruman and Grima story-arc. More than likely, this sub-plot from the books was taken out and/or rewritten in the movies in order to reduce the already lengthy run-time, much like several other plots. It is not revealed how exactly he learns of Aragorn's existence in the movie, but in both the Animated version of the movie and the original novel, it is revealed that Denethor also has one of the lost Palantir (The Crystal Ball seeing stone that Saruman prominently wields in the movie) in his possession and through it, he discovers not only Aragorn's existence but also the threat of the Corsairs of Umbar, implying that Sauron would be triumphant in his siege and destruction of Gondor. In Gandalf and Pippin's first scene with Denethor in the Throne Room of Minas Tirith, the Steward of Gondor confronts Gandalf about his 'schemes' to remove Denethor from power and replace him with Aragorn. Elijah Wood finally got to do his side of the scene one year later in the same location the squash players of Queenstown had been without a court that whole time, as the set had remained in place on the court the entire time. At the end of that period, the crew had moved to a new location. The intent was always to return to the squash court (where the set remained standing) to do Elijah Wood's scenes, but for the next five weeks, there was no rain to interrupt exterior filming. The next day, however, the sun came out and the floods abated, so exterior filming could resume. Astin's scenes were all successfully completed. Elijah Wood and Sean Astin balked at having to do such a pivotal scene without preparation ( Andy Serkis had not been cast at this point, so someone from the crew filled in for Gollum) but filming went ahead as planned. Thus, the next day, the next scene to be filmed was the intense moment from this movie when an obsessed Frodo sides with Gollum and sends Sam on his way. The only available indoor facility that could be used for a studio set was the squash court in a local hotel. Filming was progressing on Володар перснів: Хранителі персня (2001) in the location of Queenstown when suddenly the town was hit with massive floods, and exterior filming had to be suspended.