Peter Jackson Confirms that ‘The Hobbit’ is Now Three Films
Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson has confirmed via Facebook that the upcoming Hobbit story will be split into three movies. Previous slated to be released as two films, Jackson and his writers felt that a third movie was necessary to tell the entire story, which will include information revealed in the appendices of Return of the King.
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.”
As a huge fan of Lord of the Rings and the Middle Earth universe, I’m not sure what my response to this is. I was questioning whether two films was all that necessary, and now they’re adding yet another movie to the mix? I understand that there is a ton of information that they can use, but there’s a difference between wanting to tell a story and making it work. As Bilbo says in Fellowship of the Ring, this feels “sort of stretched, like… butter scraped over too much bread.” Not only that, but arguably the most intriguing part of The Hobbit – the dragon Smaug – won’t be introduced until the last moments of the second film at the earliest. The third film is scheduled to be released in the summer of 2014, while the first movie movies are to be released the previous two Decembers.
But at the end of the day, with what Jackson and company did with The Lord of the Rings, I can’t help but put my faith in them. More Gandalf the better. And may we perhaps see Aragorn brought into the story?
What do you think? Is this a smart move? Is three movies simply too much?
11 Comments
At first I thought it’s just a way Warner and MGM to make more money, which is true but if Jackson wants to show more what Tolkien referred to in the books, then why not. I would love to see the big battle at near the end of the novel comes to life, I mean Tolkien only mentioned it in one paragraph or two. I’m pretty sure Jackson will make it look epic.
Yeah, this should take up the majority of the third film. I consider Helm’s Deep to be as good as it gets when it comes to battles, so I’m pretty excited for that part.
Let’s just say the book is 310 pages. How many movies can you make from such a thin book? In comparison, Lord of the Rings is 5 times more substantial.
Yeah, it will be interesting. There bit of information in the appendices, so I think there’s enough content to possibly make it work. I mainly question the fluidity of it all.
I don’t know. Peter Jackson is starting to lose his way. The 48 fps was bad enough.
As much as I’m excited for The Hobbit, 3 films does seem excessive. Heh, I guess I’ll wait and see what PJ’s got up his sleeve.
Really? 3 Movies? Really? Hey, Peter Jackson, self-indulgent much.
I’m a huge LOTR & Peter Jackson fan, so while this is distressing, it’s also exciting. I don’t think The Hobbit is substantial enough for two movies, let alone three, but I have faith that Jackson & Co. will rope in all kinds of neat, deep story elements to make for an interesting tale. Bring it on.
WHAT??? it’s so not necessary!!! the book is far thinner than the lord of the rings…to make it into three is like adding too much salt into an already delicious soup.
I am beginning to lose faith now…I HATE EXTRA characters and scenes when it comes to my fav book. Adding that Lily person has already made me wondering what is she for…I really hope he will STAY TRUE to the book…and to stay true to the book doesn’t need 3 movies
“sort of stretched, like… butter scraped over too much bread.”
Exactly. Good quote to choose, that’s what I thought of too.
I still have faith. What I saw at Comic-con was incredible, and the LotR trilogy is even better as extended editions… so… maybe he can make it work.
Of course, the counter-argument is to point to King Kong, which was a bloated mess. Eesh. LOL
Yeahhhhh, I was apprehensive about two films, but three seems a tad excessive. I’m a big fan of The Hobbit, but I don’t know if it can successfully be stretched to three films. I’m hoping Peter Jackson proves all of us wrong, though.
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