The Hobbit to be a trilogy

MANILA, Philippines - Peter Jackson will make a third film in his upcoming adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. It was jointly announced by Toby Emmerich, president and COO, New Line Cinema; Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum, co-chair and chief executive officers, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Jeff Robinov, president, Warner Bros. Pictures Group.

Jackson, the Academy Award-winning filmmaker behind the blockbuster The Lord of the Rings trilogy, recently wrapped principal photography on what he originally planned to be a two-film adaptation of The Hobbit, which is set in Middle-Earth 60 years before The Lord of the Rings.

Jackson stated, “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. 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.’ We know the strength of our cast and 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.”

Emmerich said, “We completely support Peter and his vision for bringing this grand adventure to the screen over the course of three films. Peter, Fran and Philippa’s reverence for the material and understanding of these characters ensure an exciting and expanded journey that is bound to please fans around the world.”

The first film in the trilogy, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, will be released on Dec. 14, with the second film releasing on Dec. 13, 2013, and the third film slated for summer 2014. All three films will be released in 3D and 2D in select theaters and IMAX.

Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, the character he played in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, with Martin Freeman in the central role of Bilbo Baggins and Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield. Returning cast members from The Lord of the Rings also include Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis as Gollum.