So… The Hobbit is to be Three Movies

July 30, 2012

What a surprise; Peter Jackson announced today on his Facebook page that The Hobbit movie is officially being split into three parts rather than the two previously announced.

Now, I adored Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, and am very much looking forward to The Hobbit. He commented at ComiCon that these are movies made by fans for fans, and it’s clear to see that this is the case.

Given the relative lengths of the books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, I have some concerns that to stretch The Hobbit to three movies there may be a lot of filler required and that the decision to switch from two two three is primarily financially based.

On the other hand, I have tremendous faith in Peter Jackson and his team, and trust him when he says that he will be expanding The Hobbit universe to include material from other works of Tolkien as well as new material. I have been impressed in the trailer that they have managed to give each of the thirteen dwarves a unique look and personality. That is something that I’m sure extending the film will only help. I understand that some of the new material will include Gandalf’s confrontation with the Necromancer, something only touched on in the novel. That is something I’m looking forward to seeing on screen.

In general, I prefer to see the movie before reading the book. I find that, if I read the book beforehand, I feel frustrated watching the movie if the characters aren’t quite how I imagined them, or if they’ve missed out scenes that are important to me. In the case of The Hobbit, I don’t think that is something I need fear. Judging by The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trailer, Jackson and team have remained faithful to Tolkien’s vision and I know I’m in safe hands however many films they take to tell their story.

One Comment

  • Anonymous July 31, 2012 at 11:34 am

    The Hobbit

    As you said, it’s probably financially based, but have also faith in Peter Jackson, so will give them the benefit of the doubt until I see the movies.
    But will that mean that we’ll have to wait even longer for another Sherlock and Watson!?

    Natasha

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