Peter Jackson Milking It: Prepare for 3 Hobbit Films

via Peter Jackson Making 3 Hobbit Films Whether We Like It Or Not | The Mary Sue.

We don’t have a whole lot to go on right now but it’s been confirmed that Jackson and New Line are going ahead with a third Hobbit movie.

When the rumors first started, Jackson didn’t exactly deny the possibility of a third movie but said, “We are also using extensive parts of the appendices which were published at the end of Return of the King. This is not just The Hobbit— it’s The Hobbit set in a much greater context of events taking place throughout Middle-earth during this period. The material is so rich. In fact only this last week or two, we’ve been talking to the studio about allowing us to shoot some additional material next year, to fully complete the story.” But an unnamed studio representative said the plan was always for two.

At Comic-Con, Jackson wasn’t sure what the new shoots would be for though he theorized it could be for extended editions of the two films. And the very last we heard was that he was talking to New Line about stretching into a third film which, no duh, the studio said yes to.

Here’s what Jackson had to say on his Facebook page:

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. Recently Fran, Phil and I did just this when 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.’