"The Hobbit" is now officially 3 films

After several weeks of teasing and speculation Warner Brothers, MGM, New Line Cinema and Peter Jackson have officially confirmed that "The Hobbit" will become a trilogy. The question this immediately raises is "Will Tolkien's beloved tale, that introduced the world to middle earth and the comings and goings of Bilbo Baggins, become so bloated by material fished out of "The Lord of the Rings" appendices (Jackson's reported source for all the additional footage he's hot to shoot) that it's simply unrecognizable?" Maybe. But I for one have to think that the studio would have taken a pass if they thought Jackson didn't have a strong enough concept and/or enough material to make it all work. A tentative release date of summer 2014 is floating around but I hope everyone involved takes a deep breath and gives the project the time it needs to be realized in a satisfying way. If that means waiting until December 2014 (or later) then so be it. Good luck to all involved.

Here's Jackson's official announcement:

"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"