Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Peter Jackson speaks out about Trilogy

‘The Hobbit’ To Be A Trilogy!

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Pack your satchels full of cram and fill your tankards with miruvor, because we’re about to embark on a long journey. The rumors surrounding The Hobbit were yesterday confirmed; We’re going to get a trilogy.
Speaking on his Facebook page, Peter Jackson had this to say:
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, I’d like to announce that two films will become three.
Wow. We’d been hearing murmurs from the studio that Jackson was considering making the series into a trilogy he even admitted as much himself at the recent San Diego Comic-con but now it’s official.
What material will Jackson use though to stretch it out over three movies? Well, while J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit was only about 300 pages long compared with 1000 pages for The Lord of the Rings there was a substantial amount of action that occurred off page, such as Gandalf’s tussle with the Necromancer. They may also try and bridge the gap between the end of The Hobbit and the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring, as Jackson also has his hands on 125 pages of notes that Tolkien made, expanding the Hobbit world.
However, if there’s one reservation I have about Jackson (and it’s only a small reservation, so don’t go crazy) it’s his propensity for long and bloated scenes. I thought King Kong was about 45 minutes too long and The Return of the King had about five different endings.
That being said, in Peter Jackson I trust and if he believes that there’s enough material for a trilogy, then I’m all for it.
Details for the third movie are still being ironed-out between Jackson and Warner Bros. but it’s believed a summer 2014 release has been tentatively penciled in. What’s also interesting is the possible name of the third movie. According to Fusible, the domain names The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and The Hobbit: Riddles in the Dark have both recently been registered. Intriguing.
What do you guys think? Are you happy about spending more time in Middle Earth or are two movies more than enough? Sound off in the comments below!
The trilogy begins when The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens on December 14th.