Let’s be honest: when Peter Jackson floated the possibility that his two-part adaptation of The Hobbit and the Appendices of The Lord of the Rings would become three films at Comic-Con, the deals were probably already in place. He just wanted to see how the fans would react. And honestly it has been a mixed reaction — personally I have my doubts that the material won’t seem bloated over three films. Regardless of how anyone might feel, it’s now official: Jackson revealed on his Facebook page that there will be three Hobbit films. Here is his official statement:
An unexpected journey
It is only at the end of a shoot that you finally get the chance to sit down and have a look at the film you have made. Recently Fran, Phil and I did just this when we watched for the first time an early cut of the first movie – and a large chunk of the second. We were really pleased with the way the story was coming together, in particular, the strength of the characters and the cast who have brought them to life. All of which gave rise to a simple question: do we take this chance to tell more of the tale? And the answer from our perspective as the filmmakers, and as fans, was an unreserved ‘yes.’
We know how much of the story of Bilbo Baggins, the Wizard Gandalf, the Dwarves of Erebor, the rise of the Necromancer, and the Battle of Dol Guldur will remain untold if we do not take this chance. The richness of the story of The Hobbit, as well as some of the related material in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, allows us to tell the full story of the adventures of Bilbo Baggins and the part he played in the sometimes dangerous, but at all times exciting, history of Middle-earth.
So, without further ado and on behalf of New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Wingnut Films, and the entire cast and crew of “The Hobbit” films, I’d like to announce that two films will become three.
It has been an unexpected journey indeed, and in the words of Professor Tolkien himself, “a tale that grew in the telling.”
Cheers,
Peter J
One point that Jackson makes that I agree with — this project will likely be the very last time J.R.R. Tolkien‘s books will ever be filmed (trust me, nobody’s going to make a movie out of The Silmarillion), so he might as well film as much of the original material as possible.
As for the title of the third film? Fusible has searched for registered domains and has come up with two: The Hobbit: Riddles in the Dark and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. Of course, it’s just as possible that those are titles for associated merchandise (particularly video games), as I don’t think either really fits. In fact, I’d wager that the third film will snag the There and Back Again title while the second film will take something else entirely.
The first film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, will be released this December.
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