[Lomelinde]

Ok, I remember reading an interview with the executive producer Fran Walsh and this very topic came up. First of all, she said the Scouring was left out of the ROTK because it would have been a little anti-climactic to throw yet another sub-plot at the audience at the end of the movie. It also would have been distracting and added on an extra half-hour or so to an already long movie. Second of all, she mentioned the scene in Galadriel's Mirror as being the only glimpses of the Scouring they were going to show. And third of all, if the rumors of Saruman's untimely (and cheesy) demise are true, then that makes it kind of hard for him to take over the Shire later, therefore, no Scouring needed. Anyway, that's what I read somewhere, don't know if it's straight fact but I'm thinking there's a really weak chance of the Scouring being included.