Director Peter Jackson just finished wrapping up production on both ‘The Hobbit’ films earlier this month as shown in his latest vlog. As in the case of most movie making, he has filmed more than enough footage to make 2 movies. While most films find the extra on the cutting room floor or added to the movie’s DVD set, Jackson and Warner Bros. are actually talking about making ‘The Hobbit’ a trilogy.

During Comic-Con, Jackson commented to the fans in Hall H about what he should do with all the extra footage and teased that he wanted to shoot more footage. “There’s other parts of the story that we’d like to tell that we haven’t been able to tell yet,” he said. Apparently that struck a chord with the execs at Warner Bros as serious discussions about turning the two movie adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien novel into a trilogy are now taking place.

While no deal is on the table yet, the studio is working out the logistics and would be well on board if the right financial arrangements could be achieved. A lot would also depend if the studio can secure the stars to return for more filming as without Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins) and Ian McKellan (Gandalf), a third movie would not be feasible.

Many are not sure if the ‘The Hobbit’ novel has enough material to even cover 3 movies but Jackson plans on using Tolkien’s 125 page notes called ‘The Appendices’ as added material. “We haven’t just adapted ‘The Hobbit,’ he says, ‘we’ve adapted that book plus great chunks of his appendices and woven it all together. The movie explains where Gandalf goes; the book never does. We’ve explained it using Tolkien’s own notes. That helped inform the tone of the movie…”

A source close to the production commented that the decision to expand the movie will need to be decided soon. “If we’re going to do it,” the source says, “we have to make a decision soon. It’s strongly driven by the filmmakers’ desire to tell more of the story. It’s about taking the chance to tell more of the incredible tale with the cast we have assembled.”

As more information about this deal becomes clear, we’ll be sure to let you know about the outcome.

So what are your thoughts? Do you think making ‘The Hobbit’ into a trilogy is a good move?

Source: Deadline