‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy: ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Prequel Gets A Third Film

There and back again… and again.

Yes, the rumors are true, Peter Jackson has confirmed that “The Hobbit” will become a trilogy. Rumblings that the “Lord of the Rings” prequel would be split into three films first made headway at Comic-Con earlier in the month.

“We have certainly been talking to the studio about some of the material we can’t film, and we’ve been asking them so we can do a bit more filming next year,” Jackson told HitFix, after the “Hobbit” Hall H panel. “Which, I don’t know what would come of that, whether it’d be extended editions or whatnot. But those discussions are ongoing.”

Currently, the third flick is being slated for a summer 2014 release date. The first film, “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” will hit theaters on December 14, with its follow-up, “The Hobbit: There and Back Again,” getting a December, 13, 2013 release date. According to Variety, although Jackson has plenty of B-roll footage to work with, another “Hobbit” film will require a re-start of production.

Considering the lack of material in the original J.R.R. Tolkien book, fans were already a bit skeptical of the story being split into two parts. It’s rumored that this third movie will use material from the appendices Tolkien wrote at the end of “Return of the King,” the final chapter in the “Lord of the Rings” series.’ .

[via Variety]