After much consideration, 'New Line, MGM and Warner Bros. are equally enthusiastic about bringing fans this expansive tale across three films'.
- Jul 30, 2012
AceShowbiz - Like "Lord of the Rings" series, "The Hobbit" will be a trilogy. Director Peter Jackson confirmed on Monday, July 30 that an extra film will close the Middle Earth saga which is kicked off with "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" and followed up with "The Hobbit: There and Back Again".
"Upon recently viewing a cut of the first film, and a chunk of the second, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and I were very pleased with the way the story was coming together," Jackson said in a statement. "We recognized that 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', gave rise to a simple question: do we tell more of the tale? And the answer from our perspective as filmmakers and fans was an unreserved 'yes'."
He continued, "We know the strength of our cast and of the characters they have brought to life. We know creatively how compelling and engaging the story can be and - lastly, and most importantly - we know how much of the tale of Bilbo Baggins, the Dwarves of Erebor, the rise of the Necromancer, and the Battle of Dol Guldur would remain untold if we did not fully realize this complex and wonderful adventure. I'm delighted that New Line, MGM and Warner Bros. are equally enthusiastic about bringing fans this expansive tale across three films."
The first film will be premiered on December 14 this year while the second one is due December 13, 2013. According to THR's sources, the third film will be released in summer 2014.
