Just a quick note from the tabloids . . .
The Hobbit, the precursor to the Lord of the Rings is being made into a movie. That’s not news. It started out as two movies, actually: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again.
Now we find out that it’s going to be a trilogy.
The first one will come out this December and the second a year after, in 2013. The third movie, which apparently does not have a title yet, will be released in the summer of 2014 and will reportedly encompass some of the material that is covered in the LOTR appendices to go along with the 56 hours of extra footage that Peter Jackson shot for the existing movies.
I think they just wanted to inflate the price of the inevitable collector’s edition DVD/Blue-ray/holographic display set (refer to my previous post linked above). Or perhaps they’re trying to cut into the profits for The Avengers 2: Robert Downey, Jr. Needs a New Learjet.
Let’s also hope there’s more dwarves singing and an appearance by Tom Bombadil.
July 31, 2012 at 8:30 am
The Hobbit : are we there yet?
That would be in keeping with the travel theme of the titles with a passing nod to Jackson’s love of going over the top with the quantity of film being used.
If it’s like return of the king it’ll grind to a halt just before the end and stumble on for half an hour or more to a lacklustre end. Ignoring stuff that was actually written in the book in the process, that’d be the whole return to the shire section in the LOTR’s case.
Curious that for a film called The Hobbit they seem to be able to get a seemingly large amount of stuff past the army of lawyers that isnt in the book. But then you think for a brief moment and realise it’s about the money that said lawyers, and those they represent, will make from sales off the back of it compared to sandwich shops and pubs who have to be sued to get money from.
I will accept that Jackson has a pretty good feel for the visual on screen but he does come across at times of being, for want of a better phrase, up himself.
July 31, 2012 at 9:14 am
I think
most of the press and the fans are in agreementthat this is a total money-grab. Hollywood is big on breaking up books into two movies these days, so I guess they figured “Hey, why not three?”Update: I’m marking out the generalties
July 31, 2012 at 9:21 am
I don’t think this is a money-grab. In lord of the rings 3 films was not enough to show everything that was in the books (Tom bombadil, sharkey attacking the shire when the hobbits come back after the war of the ring…).
I honestly believe that peter jackson is not going to make the same misstake twice, so he’s gonna show all what it’s in the books for the hobbit. Remember there’s a long way from the shire to Goblin Town. And from there we have Beorn and yet a long way to get to Smaug. But after that we still need to see the fight of the 5 armies, and also the fall of Smaug in the lake town….
I don’t know what peter jackson will do, but i think that we’ll have a better movie with 3 films than 2.
July 31, 2012 at 10:47 am
I agree that there was a lot of stuff missing from LoTR trilogy that was very obvious.
But the hobbit is a single book and the stuff being adding wasnt contained within that book and probably doesnt aid the story at all. Most people if they want to know more would have gone and read the other books Tolkien wrote
July 31, 2012 at 11:52 am
I disagree Merric. There really is far too much doom and gloom speculation as to why a third movie will be made. I don’t think PJ has ever shown a lack of integrity when it comes to the Tolkien lore. Given his success with the franchise, does that not at least ask that we give him the benefit of the doubt while we wait? After the films come out, we can then say “I told you so” if all three films seem watered down/unnecessary (i.e. a blatant money-grab). Until then why not look at it with the idea that we are getting MORE of a good thing. I personally think PJ would not allow a third film to be made if it wasn’t adding to the story telling. He has enough clout to stand up to Hollywood pressure now and I don’t think he is lacking in cash personally. Let’s wait and see optimistically
July 31, 2012 at 2:22 pm
Everything designed to make money is a “money grab” now, haven’t you heard? I go to work every day to grab money.
August 1, 2012 at 1:17 pm
Fair enough
July 31, 2012 at 2:37 pm
Please don’t presume to be speaking for “the fans”. I at least love this and there is definitely enough story to be told if they are taking stuff from the LotR appendices too as they say they are.
July 31, 2012 at 10:06 pm
You make me lose a lot of respect for you and your website when you post comments like this and approve posts like this, which are very cynical and, in my opinion, blind-sided (as if such a big decision would be made to inflate a DVD price, which could be easily inflated in other ways, such as with featurettes, etc.)
Was the tag “Peter Jackson wants more of your money” really necessary, Vraeden? Is this what we have to look forward to from CSTM? Until this I have had a lot of respect for this website.
I am sure the studios saw dollar signs (though we cannot presume to know what each producer feels personally about the move), as that is there job, to make money, and making money ensures the successful of such productions and the ability to fund future works. Like it or not, Hollywood is a business, just like Turbine is.
I personally don’t believe Peter Jackson, his co-writers, the staff, and the actors all want a third movie for the money. Some may do, of course, and obviously they will all expect to be paid for their time and energy. The speed at which this deal was secured, compared to the years it took for the Hobbit project to get off the ground in the first place, suggests to me that there was no one involved trying to hold up the project to get a fatter paycheque (which some of the essential actors could have done if they wanted).
As for the third movie itself, there is not only tons of information in the Appendices that is relevant to The Hobbit, there is a lot of stuff that is only half-mentioned or alluded to in the book. Tolkien often mentioned things after the fact, and, of course, The Lord of the Rings gave new meaning to some things that had much less significance in The Hobbit.
From what PJ has revealed, we can likely expect to see not only Gandalf’s trip to Dol Guldur, but the actual battle of Dol Guldur, where the White Council forced Sauron out of Mirkwood. This is very significant, but does not feature in The Hobbit. It does, however, tie the story up quite well with The Lord of the Rings.
Merric, this comment is not true at all: “I think most of the press and the fans are in agreement that this is a total money-grab.”
Where do you get your facts for this? As a journalist I can tell you that this is not my opinion and not the opinion of many of my peers, who work in various different industries. As a fan it is not my opinion, nor is it the opinion of any of my friends or kinmates, many of whom are bigger fans of Tolkien than I am (which is saying a lot).
There has definitely been criticism and doubt expressed over the move by some, but what I have seen is that the majority of people approve of a third movie. Even a cursory glance of the Facebook announcement by PJ shows that there is a huge outpouring of support.
So where are you getting your facts from?
July 31, 2012 at 11:01 pm
Have you read anything I’ve written before? Like maybe my previous post regarding The Hobbit movies?
July 31, 2012 at 11:35 pm
I’m not him, but I’ll say that I don’t really see how that article is relevant to your handling of this article. Which sounds quite bitter and presumptuous to me as well.
August 1, 2012 at 1:23 pm
I actually got my “facts” from other articles that I have read. But obviously it’st starting to look like I could have been mistaken.
August 1, 2012 at 2:54 pm
First off this is an opinion piece and for those who don’t know Vraeden, he is a big of a satirical jokey type writer.
You are welcome to disagree with it and comment your own feelings but I am not to be told what should and shouldn’t be posted on my site. Vraeden’s opinions are valid even if you disagree with them. In fact, I personally disagree and am part of the ‘yay new movie’ camp but it still doesn’t mean that what Vraeden thinks shouldn’t be allowed to be posted.
Also calling out Merric on “fact” for his comment is no different than calling out for you to prove how you came about your answer. We all read different sites and have individual perspectives. Also we don’t require commenters to fact check everything they say.
Sorry to seem short. I try to be fair when it comes to comments and you’re completely ok to disagree but the mama bear claws will come out if I see you criticizing our writers personal thoughts (not to mention my editorial choices) rather than just discussing the topic at hand.
Keep it on topic and impersonal or perhaps you can just say “eh in three years of daily content I found something not for me” and move on.
August 1, 2012 at 11:21 am
Lol. I couldn’t disagree more. Yes there is always a potential with enormous franchises to make lots of money but in this case Tolkien has enough content for them to make many many more movies in addition to these three. The fans think this is a money grab? I’ll retort with my own possibly made up fact that LOTR fans are going crazy with excitement that we will get another movie out of this. Have you watched the production videos he put out for the fans throughout shooting? What a thoughtful thing to do, I don’t see the greed people are unfairly trying to put here.
July 31, 2012 at 9:21 am
I think the criticism of the LotR films is harsh. They were a monumental and unprecendented cinematic achievement.
Personality wise, I suspect a director would need to be a bit “up himself” to believe he could take on something so enormous and actually pull it off.
No, the films aren’t perfect, but I honestly can’t imagine who could have done a better job.
July 31, 2012 at 9:27 am
Personally, I think this is great news. So what if it’s a money-grab? We get another movie about Middle-earth! IMO opinion, Jackson did a fantastic job with LotR. Sure, he changed some things, but it was done to appeal to as wide of an audience as possible. I believe he captured the spirit of the stories very well.
Jackson’s Fellowship of the Ring introduced me to Middle-earth, and from then on I’ve been hooked. I’ve read LotR and Hobbit almost every year since then. I’m currently in my second reading of Silmarillion, and the Christopher Tolkien books are on my Christmas wish-list.
I could never be disappointed about another movie. I wonder if they’ll end up doing a Silmarillion (trilogy LOL) movie in the future?
July 31, 2012 at 9:28 am
I think the extra film is probably for the fanboys/girls, and the way it was pitched to the studios was as a money grab.
The extended-edition LOTR films are four hours each and people still complained that stuff was left out. I’d rather see a third film made than for all of the material be buried in DVD extras or the director’s commentary.
July 31, 2012 at 9:42 am
I agree with most of the comments above – whether it was pitched to WB as a money-grab or not, I couldn’t be happier about this news! I think PJ knows what he’s doing (his LotR movies aren’t perfect, but I still think they’re great) – I’m pretty sure it was he who initiated discussion with the studios about having three movies. I’d be more suspicious about this if it were the other way around, but if PJ thinks The Hobbit is better as 3 movies vs 2, I trust his word for now. This way, I hope, there will be little or nothing cut from the story. The Hobbit might be a short and easy read compared to LotR, but there’s an enourmous amount of material in there, and I think it would’ve been difficult to divide it into two movies without losing some parts in favour of better pacing or something similar. I always had trouble imagining where they would end the first movie, but now that there are 3 the answer seems obvious.
July 31, 2012 at 9:54 am
To be honest i think they did way too little with the vast resources J.R.R.Tolkien provided anyway…
With all the history that is known through The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, LotR, and many other writings, there should be a Trilogy for every major event in said history.
‘The Fall of Gondolin’ anyone? Or a series called “The History of Middle-Earth”? … maybe 12-13 parts per series/per age… i think i would cry with joy (provided its done properly)
As far as money-grabs go, at least this one has the potential to be nice enough to all concerned (on both sides of the wallet so to speak)
*Goes on dreaming of a 24 episode series called “The Rise and Fall of Númenor”…. *sigh!*
July 31, 2012 at 10:23 am
You’d have to go pester Christopher Tolkien for that, or wait until all the copyright holders die off or it goes public domain
I’m a *little* concerned that there’s going to be more invented stuff in the extra time, but that’s not by any means going to stop me from going. And buying the DVDs. I am going to be poor…
July 31, 2012 at 10:16 am
Great news from every angle, split it into 6 films id still go and watch them.
Might get Turbine investing a bit more in the game as well with any luck.
July 31, 2012 at 2:40 pm
Well I’m sure they are at least happy about this news as it continue the buzz around the IP for at least half a year longer.
July 31, 2012 at 10:14 pm
It should actually help for a whole year more, because there will be an extended edition DVD likely a year later, if we go by what happened with LOTR.
That should lead to Middle-earth buzz right into Summer/Winter 2015, which will be very good for LOTRO.
July 31, 2012 at 10:35 am
As an aside, we just watched Dead Alive this weekend. Wow. Hard to believe it’s the same director. I challenge you to get through it without fast-forwarding through the over-the-top dismemberment parts.
July 31, 2012 at 12:28 pm
Hmm Army of Darkness came out in the same year too..who ripped who off, PJ or Sam Raimi? ;p
July 31, 2012 at 9:35 pm
In PJ I trust.
August 1, 2012 at 3:46 pm
As for me, I’m firmly in the “Yay! 3 movies!” camp too – I agree totally with Imperius’ comment above: “I don’t think PJ has ever shown a lack of integrity when it comes to the Tolkien lore.” Time and again in DVD commentaries, in interviews, etc., PJ and the film team repeatedly said they learned as they went – that every time they veered from book content, they went astray, and they always found their way back by returning to the lore. They’ve learned that lesson already. So based on that, if PJ said they have wonderful material that is too good to *not* have a third movie, I believe him, and I don’t think it’s non-lore stuff. I’m looking forward to three more movies about Middle-earth!