Peter Jackson, director of Lord of the Rings:

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


I'm not so sure we need a trilogy from a story that was originally a single book of 310 pages (first edition). The Lord of the Rings trilogy deserved this because the sum of its pages is 1,008. I have no problem with that and am a supporter of watching the extended editions since there's a lot of story and other random stuff that you'll miss, but The Hobbit does not merit three films.

This is just another way to elicit additional fees from the average viewer to finish the epic journey, not to mention it adds two years to the development. Honestly, I'd recommend purchasing the hardcover and reading it if you really want to know the story. (If not, read it anyway so you have an idea of what to expect.) Then you can go spend three times the amount of money you should.