I do wonder a little bit of what, exactly, they are going to include. "The rise of the Necromancer" is not detailed in the original work - my recollection is that it is largely a footnote in the Hobbit, used to get Gandalf out of the way so Bilbo can become a hero. So, they're going to be largely making that stuff up. Jackson has been good at adapting, but this is a bit beyond that.
Don't like. I smell the stench of Hollywood business practices behind those decisions.
1. If I have to wait for a 3rd movie to see Smaug, I'll be redder than the dragon!
2. This doesn't actually guarantee much if any more movie. What we will likely be getting is the "extended edition" versions of the two hobbit movies, cut into 3 theatrical releases.
3. Which will then be further trimmed down to 90 minutes each because long running movies hurt showings per day profit potential.
4. 3rd movie will likely be released yet another year later.
4. 3rd movie will likely be released yet another year later.
Probably only a six-month-ish wait on the third movie. Jackson said likely summer 2014.