The movie adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy novel The Hobbit will get a third installment in 2014 to tell the full story of an exciting adventure set in the Middle-earth universe, Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson said.
The long-awaited prequel to the spectacular Lord of the Rings trilogy was originally set to be a two-part movie.
“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,” Jackson wrote in his Facebook blog on Monday.
“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,” he said.
The new trilogy, filmed in 3-D, will star Martin Freeman as hobbit Bilbo Baggins, Richard Armitage as dwarf Thorin Oakenshield, and Benedict Cumberbatch as dragon Smaug.
Several actors who will reprise their roles from The Lord of the Rings, including Ian McKellen, Andy Serkis, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Christopher Lee, Ian Holm, Elijah Wood, and Orlando Bloom.
The first two parts, titled The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again, are expected to be released in December 2012 and December 2013, respectively.
They were filmed back-to-back in New Zealand between March 2011 and July 2012, and are currently in post-production.
Jackson said in his blog that the third installment would be released in summer 2014.
