Peter Jackson‘s return to Middle Earth is not over yet, with production now confirmed to be continuing beyond the two prequels with the story now unfolding as a trilogy. Heat Vision had previously reported that Jackson was exploring the logistics with Warner Bros to make an additional movie, with consideration given to financial, casting issues and the rights associated with the property.
Initially there was some questions as to whether the relatively short J.R.R. Tolkien novel could be adapted into two movies – but it soon became known that Jackson was weaving additional The Lord of the Rings, source material into the narrative, using the appendices and Tolkien’s notes to make the prequels tonally similar to the previous ground breaking trilogy.
The third installment in The Hobbit trilogy will now arrive summer 2014.
Peter Jackson made this statement via Facebook:
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
This makes the allure of the prequels all the more fascinating. While the new films will allow fans to revisit the splender of LOTR universe, a lot of the events such as the character’s plight are set in certainty. A third film that incorporates additional Tolkien content will serve to extend the stories from both time-lines, and offer a more complete adaptation that fans will no doubt be enthralled by the prospect of seeing.
The Hobbit: An UnexpectedJourney is due out December 14th,2012. The Hobbit: There and Back Again is due out December 13, 2013.
No comments yet.