'The Hobbit' Confirmed As Trilogy
Peter Jackson's highly anticipated adaptation of J.R.R.Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' will be extended over three films.
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The mastermind behind The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson, has confirmed that he will expand The Hobbit into three films, with the first instalment having recently wrapped shooting.
"We recognised 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,'" Jackson said.
So, unlike The Lord Of The Rings trilogy - which was adapted from three very rich novels- Jackson is making this new trilogy from a considerably slimmer single novel, and it seems that the director aims to pad the trilogy out with material from the various Lord Of The Rings appendices. Some rich material perhaps, but considering Jackson's Lord Of The Rings trilogy smashed box office records when they were released, there's surely more than a little box office incentive as well...
Set on Middle Earth as a wind back to sixty years before The Lord Of The Rings, this "complex and wonderful adventure" as stated by Jackson, will take viewers on a journey through the legend of Bilbo Baggins, the Dwarves of Erebor, the rise of the Necromancer and the Battle of Dol Guldur.
The cast will include many returning members from The Lord Of The Rings trilogy including Ian McKellen as ‘Gandalf the Grey' and Andy Serkis as ‘Gollum' alongside Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage and Orlando Bloom whose character Legolas is not actually a part of The Hobbit novel, but a small fact easily overlooked, considering the Elf's big fan base.
All three films will be shot and screened in 3D.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be released this year on Boxing Day. The second film will be released in 2013 and the final film in 2014.
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