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After several days of rumors swirling around the internet, Peter Jackson took to his Facebook page on Monday to confirm that The Hobbit will in fact become a trilogy.

Already filmed as two movies, Jackson originally made a comment that there was enough material to make into a third movie, which made the internet explode in the first place. Here's what he said Monday:

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 I've said many times on the podcast, The Lord of the Rings is my favorite film trilogy of all time. I could not be happier about getting another trilogy set in that amazing world. 

--Brian


P.S. While we're rejoicing in the news, let's watch that amazing trailer again!

 


Comments

Wayne
08/03/2012 10:29

I am reading The Hobbit for the first time right now and I'm really liking it. I'm excited for the movie.

Brian
08/03/2012 11:14

I'm re-reading it for the first time in about 25 years, and there's so much I don't remember. What I like about this one is that it's a lighter, more all-ages story than LoTR. This will be the movie I introduce Tolkien's world to my kids with.

Not to mention, dwarves are my favorite fantasy race.

Spidey
08/03/2012 15:29

This is the only book I have read more than once. I didn't figure it for 3 movies, but if there is more to THIS story (and only this story) that is in other books, I guess I will keep an open mind.

Brian
08/03/2012 19:08

Steve--in the appendices of the Lord of the Rings, Tolkien gave a lot more details about what happened during the Hobbit. So, the creators are using the additional story from those appendices to make the new trilogy. There's a lot of things in the original Hobbit book that Tolkien went back and talked more about later. That's the extra stuff in the new movies.


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