Peter Jackson’s first two entries in his LORD OF THE RINGS prequel trilogy have both been fantastic revisits to the world of Middle Earth, and I’m sure we are not alone here at THN in our excitement and anticipation for the upcoming final part.
Last week we reported that the third film in the trilogy THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN may be renamed before its December release date at the end of the year. Now Peter Jackson has officially confirmed on his Facebook page that the film has indeed changed its title to…THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES. The title is maybe a little bit wordy but it does sound suitably epic for our final big screen adventure in Middle Earth. Jackson has also revealed that last years THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG will be receiving an extended cut with 25 minutes of additional footage, to be released at some point later this year. Sounds like a great year for fans of Bilbo Baggins and his merry band of dwarfs, elves and wizards! You can read the post from Jackson below:
‘Our journey to make The Hobbit Trilogy has been in some ways like Bilbo’s own, with hidden paths revealing their secrets to us as we’ve gone along. “There and Back Again” felt like the right name for the second of a two film telling of the quest to reclaim Erebor, when Bilbo’s arrival there, and departure, were both contained within the second film. But with three movies, i…t suddenly felt misplaced—after all, Bilbo has already arrived “there” in the “Desolation of Smaug”.
When we did the premiere trip late last year, I had a quiet conversation with the studio about the idea of revisiting the title. We decided to keep an open mind until a cut of the film was ready to look at. We reached that point last week, and after viewing the movie, we all agreed there is now one title that feels completely appropriate.
And so: “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” it is.
As Professor Tolkien intended, “There and Back Again” encompasses Bilbo’s entire adventure, so don’t be surprised if you see it used on a future box-set of all three movies.
Before then however, we have a film to finish, and much to share with you. It’s been a nice quiet time for us—Jabez and I happily editing away in a dark cave in Wellington—but those halcyon days are quickly coming to an end. It will soon be time to step into the light. Expect to see and hear much about The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies in the coming months.
And there’s also The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Extended Cut, which we’re in the process of finishing, with over 25 mins of new scenes, all scored with original music composed by Howard Shore.
It’ll be a fun year!’
THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES will be released on 17th December. The film stars Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Manu Bennett and Aidan Turner.
Check out THN’s exclusive interview with Richard Armitage HERE!
Source: Facebook
