Hobbits assemble.
"The Lord of the Rings" turned out to be a three-movie series, and now "The Hobbit" will be the same, as producers announced today that they are expanding this prequel from two movies to three.
Now the lineup looks like this: "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" will open this December; "The Hobbit: There and Back Again" will be released in December 2013; the third film, without a title, will arrive in the summer of 2014.
"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," said director Peter Jackson on his Facebook page on Monday.
"Recently (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.'"
Considering the quality of the original trilogy of films, it's hard to argue that Jackson telling these stories in three films rather than two is anything but a positive development.
The Oscar-winner has more than proven that he knows what he's doing, from the writing that honors J.R.R. Tolkien's books to special effects that have been beyond spectacular.
From an "even more for the fans" perspective, there's simply no debate. They always want more, if it's good, and these will exceed that simple standard.
This set of films will all be in 3-D and open in IMAX theaters as well.
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