This is just a quick post, but an important one nonetheless. I have been keeping a close eye on all things Hobbit for some time. So I got extremely excited a couple of days ago when I received a Tweet through my phone.
I held my breath. No! Could it really be?! I followed the link (which you can read here if you wish) but to summarize it in short; Peter Jackson and several others got the chance to watch back a lot of the footage and realized that they potentially had enough material to extend it into three films instead of the expected two fans have been looking forward to. By doing this they might also be able to include extra’s from the Lord of the Rings appendixes padding out our favourite world into even more rich detail. However, they still needed the go ahead from actors, studio’s etc.
Well, today I got this through my phone:
And this statement was released on the film’s Facebook page:
Peter Jackson:
“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.”
(You can read in full article here)
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After seeing your dedication and love for Middle Earth in the comments section on my recent post about upcoming book to film adaptions I just had to post about this! Although I’m sure many of the fans have already seen this news, I wanted to spread the word! 🙂 I would really love to see what you think of this turn of events! Do you think the split will be a a great opportunity to add more depth and detail to the films? Or will it make it feel “…thin. Sort of stretched, like…butter scraped over too much bread.” (Teehee sorry, couldn’t resist using that Bilbo quote. 😛 )
Thoughts? 🙂
The Hobbit at Comic Con:
Blogs-Of-A-Bookaholic 
😀 Let’s just hope it’s not like the new Star Wars trilogy 😛
Hahaa touché! 😛 I have faith in Peter Jackson, so hopefully it will be fine. 🙂
It just seems excessive…
Mmm, it does a bit. Let’s just hope they have a good reason for extending it, that isn’t money related! 🙂
I was trying not to be a cynic but my first response was of well three movies will obviously make them more money. lol
Haha yeah I don’t blame you, it must be a factor, they can’t really deny it. I’m sure that’s the exact reason why Harry Potter and Breaking Dawn were split and why Mockingjay is planning to be split as well. Damn Harry Potter seems to have started the splitting trend!
I’m not quite sure how they’re going to do it though, because Peter Jacksong likes to do his long extended cuts DVDs as well. Surely they can’t have THAT much material!?
I probably shouldn’t admit this but I haven’t read The Hobbit. I read The Lord of the Rings just before the films came out, so I’ll probably do the same with this one.
Hehe, better snap to it and buy the book then. 😉 Sounds like a good plan Emma, if you decide to read it I hope you enjoy it. It’s one of my fave’s 🙂
I didn’t realise there was enough for it to be a trilogy. Well I didn’t realise it was going to be two films and not just one. But I guess I need to re-read the hobbit to understand it. It’s funny that you used that quote at the end. I watched most of that film yesterday before the cinema. Haha 🙂
Yeahh…I mean there is quite a lot that happens in the book, in some ways a lot more than the Lord of the Rings ones, but Tolkiens work is less descriptive in it I feel – as it was originally aimed at children, so that’s why the book is shorter me thinks. Haha, a reread sounds like a great idea! It can’t hurt. 🙂
Thanks! 🙂 It just randomly popped into my head when I was writing it….I’ve watched the films so many times, maybe too many times. 😛
Ahhh right. Yeah I don’t really remember what happens at all. So re-reading is a great idea! Haha
Haha, fair enough. I think I’ve only really watched them once
I’m on the fence over this so far. I mean I love the Hobbit and am so excited to see the film adaptation, but I just hope they don’t drag it out too much. It should be interesting that’s for sure!
Yeah, I completely agree with you! I love the Hobbit so much – it’s one of my favourite books so an extra film should be great in theory. But like you, I’m also concerned that they’re draging it out. Lets hope it all works out for the best. 🙂
Wow – I think I need to reread The Hobbit! It will be amazingly detailed, that is for sure. I also hope they don’t allow too much time between releases.
Sounds like a great plan to me! 🙂 I would love to reread it myself, but unfortunately I don’t think I’m going to get the time. So far it looks like there’s going to be a year between each release, a bit annoying! But it could change, we’ll see. 🙂
A YEAR?! Blergh
Hahaa I know!!! -_- I hate it when they do this, it’s not like the fans wouldn’t turn out to see all the films if they did them closer together! So far it’s looking like December 2012, December 2013, and sometime in 2014 for the last one.
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees! A trilogy, instead of a duology. WOWSERS!
I haven’t actually read the book.
Is this actually good news? I’m still high on all the Olympics stuff, so I have no idea how to separate the bad, from the nifty.
Hahaa, now that’s enthusiasm!
I’m not sure….I love the Hobbit so I would love for it to be incredibly detailed, and Peter Jackson the director hasn’t sent us astray so far with The Lord of the Rings Trilogy…but I don’t know. I don’t want it to be stretched too think either and I think there is a danger of them doing that. We shall see…
Haha glad to hear you’ve been enjoying the olympics! 🙂 Have you been watching any of the events on?
Watched a few of them, here and there.
The girls volleyball was entertaining, spot of archery, saw Adlington get bronze in the swimming, and also the boys win bronze in the gymnastics. Also caught the end of the cycling where that girl won silver.
Fingers cross for more!
Ahhh cool. A few of them? That sounds like quite a lot to me! 🙂
We seem to be doing pretty well this year! Or is that just me? I don’t know how much I paid attention in previous years lol.
I’ve been watching all the gymnastics and will continue to do so, love the sport! I also caught the Bronze swimming race, the diving, the archery match between the USA and Korea, the end of the men’s cycling and some of the Equestrian. 🙂
I don’t want to be nitpicky, but Peter Jackson is taking more material from the Lord of the Rings appendices, not the Silmarillion :p He doesn’t have rights to the Silmarillion and he probably never will, because it was published by Tolkien’s son, who doesn’t like Jackson’s film adaptations. The appendices do cover some of the same information that’s in the Silmarillion, however.
As for the third film, I’m a bit conflicted. It seems like he’s extending the movies even further because he wants to include other Middle-earth scenes that don’t have anything to do with Bilbo and his journey. I like seeing as much of the fantasy world as possible, but I also love the Hobbit book itself and I don’t want a lot of unnecessary scenes that aren’t even in the book. The Hobbit existed before LOTR and wasn’t written as a prequel to LOTR, but Peter Jackson added a bunch of LOTR connections into the Hobbit movies, even before he decided to make it three movies. So I was already a bit nervous about the Hobbit movies before this news, so now I’m even more worried.
On the other hand, I do love the Hobbit and want as much of it as possible, so I’m excited that I have another movie to see. The news also reminded me about how excited I am for the movies. I can’t wait to hear the soundtracks, see the movies, and watch the extended editions (if there are any). I guess I just have to trust that Peter Jackson knows what he’s doing.
Yeah, I’m glad you mentioned that actually because I was a little confused with conflicting sources. One of the articles from one of the main Hobbit sites (which I linked back to) said this: “Peter Jackson is on board and justifies the move by saying there is plenty of content that can be used from Lord of the Rings appendixes and possibly The Silmarillion for the third movie.” However on the interview on comic con which I also linked to it said that they didn’t have any rights to it like you said. Which is why I opted for a a non-comital sentence “By doing this they MIGHT also be able to include extra’s from The Similarion” Lol. But thanks for clearing that up, I think I can understand the difference now. So…do you get the appendices in the normal book? Or is that something seperate? Don’t feel bad about being nitpicky, I’m certainly no expert on Tolkien and I always like to know if something isn’t quite right! 🙂
Hmmm, interesting thoughts on the cross over between the two, I personally don’t have a problem with it, and there are already some existing connections after all like the mithril vest, Gimli’s parentage and of course the ring but I can understand why you wouldn’t be keen on it, after all, I’m sure Tolkien wouldn’t like it! In fact, I think he would hate it. 😛 But yeah, I do get that it’s not a prequal but I think Jackson is probably pushing it more in that direction for the mainstream audience. I hope it doesn’t ruin it for you. :S I’m very excited to hear the soundtrack too! One thing’s for sure, it’s certainly going to be interesting to see how it turns out! 🙂
The appendices are extra sections attached to the end of Return of the King, after the story is done. It’s been a while since I looked at them, but most of them aren’t really adaptable into film (one appendix is just Hobbit family trees, another explains how to pronounce names from the book, and another explains how to translate the Elvish language). The ones Jackson must be using are the ones that have time lines, explaining the major events of Hobbits during the Hobbit and LOTR (and beyond). Any articles that said Jackson would be using the Silmarillion might have meant that certain events were told both in that book and the appendices (The entire LOTR story is summarized in the Silmarillion, in fact), or it was written by someone who didn’t know that Jackson cannot acquire the rights to the Silmarillion.
I complain a lot about Jackson’s decisions regarding the Hobbit, but then I see the trailer and I’m more excited than ever, even during the scenes that weren’t in the original book. So I’m sure I will enjoy all three movies and regret my previous anxiety when they finally come out. 🙂
Ahhh I see, that it explains why I haven’t heard of them then, because I haven’t read the last book yet. I’m hoping to get round to doing that very soon though! 🙂 Ohh well the way you’ve described it some of the sound quite interesting, although I agree, that they don’t seem particularly helpful for extending to a third film. Hmmm I will have to pay close attention when I read them to see which bits they’ve used.
Hmmm, I think it was probably the former, maybe they just worded it a bit wrong e.g. they knew what they were talking about but it didn’t translate well to someone like me who doesn’t know as much on the topic.
Ahh, glad to hear it! 🙂 I’ll be interested to see what you think of it if you do a blog post after you’ve seen the film.
I haven’t read the book but I enjoyed the Lord of The Rings trilogy so I’m sure I will enjoy this one!
Ohh yes if you enjoyed Lord of the Rings then you will definitely like The Hobbit. 🙂 You have some great storytelling awaiting you!
I forgot that The Hobbit is only one book, whereas the LOTR was 3 books. In view of this, it does seem surprising that they found enough material for 3 movies.
But I still maintain(agreeing with Jackson) that they get to tell more of the story which is a good thing. Plus it stretches the anticipation and excitement… 🙂
Haha yeah just the one book, and not as long as the Lord of the Rings books either. It’s quite strange when you think of it that way and it makes you wonder how the heck they will fill three films! Although that being said, it is a very action packed book.
Hahaa I totally agree 🙂 if it means they can tell more of the story in detail then I’m all for it!
Ah, I dislike this news. Peter Jackson does my head in as a director because he just doesn;t know when to finish! I think it’s pointless to be turning it into three films. Hopefully I’m wrong though!
Haha, you’re not the only one, a lot of people don’t like the idea of it splitting into three! 🙂
Ahh, I’m the opposite, I love Peter Jackson as a director – although, that being said, I haven’t watched any of the extended editions so I can’t really comment on whether they are good or completely pointless lol! But I love the core final products. I still haven’t made my mind up as to whether this is a good thing or a bad thing….I guess we’ll have to wait and see!
I hope you enjoy it! At least it’s something for his fans to look forward to! There’ll probably be a lot of extras too haha. I just think it’s a bit overboard for one book, and I don’t really like his work haha.
Haha thanks. 🙂 That’s fair enough! You are allowed to dislike him lol. 🙂 So…does that mean your not really a fan of The Lord of the Rings films as well?
I’m kind of a fan, I especially loved the second one (which for ome reason seems to be controversial haha!) but I think it was more of what it was about, because it’s really an epic fantasy, but I’m not a massive fan. The name Peter Jackson just makes me want to avoid whichever film he’s working with. Which is annoying because I love love love The Hobbit!
Ohhh yeah me too! I loved the stuff they did with Gollum in that one, it was so funny watching him have fights with himself. 😛 That’s the film of the three I’ve watched the most.
Awwh, that’s a shame, I hope it doesn’t mess up your enjoyment of it too much!
Becks, thanks for sharing this. I hadn’t heard the news, but this is great for Tolkien and Jackson fans. Of course, it will make them more money, but for us who love the stories it’s also exciting.
Jackson will have no problem telling a great tale, whether it was two or three films. I have no worries about that. I’m just glad we get to see more Tolkien and great cinema.
No problem mj. 🙂 I thought that it was great news for Tolkien fans too, however a lot of people actually seem to be against it which is strange! I like you, think it’s quite exciting! As long as the extra split is justified by the amount of content.
I agree, Jackson is a great storyteller, I love his work! 🙂
Well I have such a faith in Peter that I’m mad at him for not doing a 10 seasons long tv show from Middle-earth yet ^^
Nice article btw, keep it up miss.
Haha that is very true, he should have done a TV series! That would be so great. If only….
Thank you, 🙂 I will. Thanks for commenting.
I can’t wait for The Hobbit to come out. I’m even thinking of doing a re-read a couple of weeks before. I loved The Lord of the Rings films because it felt as though it was made by people who really cared. I think The Hobbit will be the same, I’m just a bit confused. Why does it need to be three films long? It seems a bit over the top seeing as the book is WAY shorter than The Lord of The Rings – and The Hobbit IS only one book. I’m assuming they are going to go into much more detail about things that weren’t seen in the book so much. I hope it doesn’t take away from the more light-hearted, child-friendly feel that the book has. I always remember reading The Hobbit when I was about ten and thinking that it was really fun – a little dangerous – but really fun! The Lord of The Rings was a step up from that – a bit of fun, but a whole lot of danger.
I’m sure they will be great films anyway! I’ll try not to worry too much!
Ahh yes I must admit all this hobbit talk does really make me want to reread the book, even though I remember it quite well I’m sure there are details that I’ve already forgotten! I fully agree with you on the fact that if felt like they cared, there was so much attention to detail, and the actors were always dipping back into scenes of the book to make sure they were getting their character just right.
I share the same confusion, my first reaction was ‘YES!’ And then ‘wait, what?!’ It does seem over the top, I think you’re right, they are going to put things in that wern’t in the book, for instance they want to bring back some of the old cast that wern’t mentioned in the book I think, and they also want to add more female characters so that female audiences don’t feel too alienated. I love Tolkien and all, but he did really neglect female characters so I think that’s a good thing, as long as they don’t mess with the core of the story and its ‘fun’ element like you said. 🙂
Thanks for commenting, you brought up some great points! 🙂
I hadn’t heard this. Awesomeness! You just cannot get enough Middle Earth. [Sigh]
Ohh really? Well I’m glad I could be helpful! 🙂 I agree, you can never get enough of Middle Earth, I often have LOTR marathons where I re-watch all the films in one go.
Thanks for commenting!
Ugh! As fun as that sounds, I think I’d BARF from movie head afterwards.
Ohh that’s a shame!