The Hobbit Expands to a Trilogy

There has been much talk and speculation the last few weeks about the possibility of Peter Jackson’s adding more story to his Hobbit epic, and today he confirmed that there will now be a third movie.  According to Jackson, after watching his rough cuts of the film he had already shot, he felt there was still a lot more story left that was being ignored.

Here is what he had to say:

” …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.”

When I first heard about this I figured it was an easy way for New Line to cash in and milk a profitable franchise much the same as what is being done with Twilight and the Hunger Games, but as more information has been made available, I’m warming to the idea.  The fact that Jackson will base this on further material Tolkien had written and not on stretching the Hobbit out further  gives me a lot more hope.

What do you think? Sound off in the comments section below!