The Hobbit Becomes A Trilogy

After weeks of chatter it has now been confirmed-director Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey/The Hobbit: There and Back Again are set to become a trilogy.

Jackson has released a statement on his Facebook page that saying that Warner Bros has agreed to the arrangement which will include plans for some extensive additional shooting in New Zealand next year.

Here's the statement:

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, MGM , 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.

What about the title?... "The Hobbit: An Expected Journey" is the subtitle for the first film. "The Hobbit: There and Back Again" was to have been the second film's title and the best guess is it will likely become that of the third film. This leaves the title of 'middle film' uknown.

Shortly after this statement was posted, Fusible found out that brand protection company MarkMonitor, which previously registered domain names involving the two previous 'Hobbit' titles, picked up several more over the weekend. Each of these new domain names were variations on two titles - “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” and “The Hobbit: Riddles in the Dark”.

The prequel sees Bilbo (Martin Freeman) travel on his journey with dwarves Thorin Oakshield (Richard Armitage) Bofur (Stephen Hunter), Bombur (James Nesbitt), and Bifur (William Kircher). Oin and Gloin (John Callen and Peter Hambleton) Jed Brophy as Nori, Adam Brown as Ori Mark Hadlow as Dori Balin (Ken Stott) and Dwalin (Graham McTavish)

Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage Benedict Cumberbatch Luke Evans Conan Stevens Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving Dean O'Gorman, Elijah Wood, Ian Holm, David Tennant, Barry Humphries., Lee Pace Bret McKenzie Orlando Bloom Billy Connolly Ian McKellen, former "Lost" actress Evangeline Lilly and Christopher Lee also star.

For now Journey will bow on December 14th 2012 while Again reaches cinemas on December 13th 2013.