Last week it was reported that director Peter Jackson and Warner Bros. were in talks about possibly extending ‘The Hobbit’ movies into a trilogy. Yesterday morning on Jackson’s Facebook page, he officially announced that the talks have concluded and the story of Bilbo Baggins will indeed be extended into three films!

Jackson teased fans at Comic-Con that he was contemplating a third film since he had so much extra footage left over from the filming of both ‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ and ‘The Hobbit” There and Back Again.’ While the logistics of just adding another movie to ‘The Hobbit’ films  may sound daunting, Warner Bros. was able to get all parties (actors, crew, right holders, etc.) who were involved in the other two films to return for the third.

Here’s what Jackson had to say:

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

As mentioned before, additional material for the third film will have Jackson dipping into the 25 page notes Tolkien put together called ‘The Appendices’ which were added to ‘The Return of the King, the last chapter of ‘The Lord of the Ring’ series. The Nacomancer  that Jackson referred in his letter was referenced in ‘The Hobbit’ but not really explored, so to see how he becomes who he is (and you’ll just have to read the books to find out who) will be an interesting addition to the films.

Unlike the first two films, you won’t have to wait until Thanksgiving of 2015 to see the last of the trilogy. The yet untitled third film of ‘The Hobbit’ series has a tentative release date of sometime in the summer of 2014.

So, what do you think? Now that it’s official, are you excited for a third film?

 

Source: Variety