The Three Hobbit Films

[Olgar Shiverstone]

LA Times article

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” opens this year on Dec. 14.

The second installment will be called “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” and will be released a year later, on Dec. 13, 2013.

Peter Jackson’s final film in the trilogy will be released July 18, 2014, with the title “The Hobbit: There and Back Again.”

Prediction:

Film [URL=http://www.enworld.org/forum/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=1]#1 [/URL] will run from the start of the book to the departure from Beorn's house. It will include scenes from prior to the start of the Hobbit, of the dwarves meeting with Gandalf, Gandalf discussing the need to get rid of Smaug, and his selection of Bilbo (prior to arriving on the doorstep).

Film [URL=http://www.enworld.org/forum/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=2]#2 [/URL] will run from the entry to Mirkwood to the penetration of the Lonely Mountain, and end with Smaug flying off in a rage. It will include scenes from the Council driving the Necromancer out of Mirkwood.

Film [URL=http://www.enworld.org/forum/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=3]#3 [/URL] will begin with the death of Smaug, show the Battle of the Five Armies in excruciating detail, and then show the return to Hobbiton. It will include scenes of Aragorn tracking Gollum to the borders of Mordor.

With that Film [URL=http://www.enworld.org/forum/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=3]#3 [/URL] seems a little short; a better break point from Film [URL=http://www.enworld.org/forum/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=2]#2 [/URL] would be when the band sets out for the mountain from Laketown, but then it would be hard to justify calling film [URL=http://www.enworld.org/forum/usertag.php?do=list&action=hash&hash=2]#2 [/URL] "The Desolation of Smaug".

I'm looking forward to the films, but dreading some of the inevitable "Hollywood" changes as well as the typical *ZOMG*3D!!!!! I'd vote for a two-film split, frankly (split just as the party is captured by the elves, and it probably makes for two decent length movies).

 

[Cor Azer]

To be fair, while you may think your assumption of the plot for #3 is short... there's nothing wrong with short.

Not everything needs to be a three-four hour epic.

 

[Mercutio01]

[MENTION=870]Cor Azer[/MENTION] - while that's true, this is Peter Jackson we're talking about...

 

[Umbran]

Prediction:

Film #1 will run from the start of the book to the departure from Beorn's house.

Nah. In terms of dramatic scenes, just entering Mirkwood is far more suspenseful than leaving Beorn's house. The last shot of the movie is far more likely to be the entry into the woods...

It will include scenes from prior to the start of the Hobbit, of the dwarves meeting with Gandalf, Gandalf discussing the need to get rid of Smaug, and his selection of Bilbo (prior to arriving on the doorstep).

It is possible to stretch any and all of these out with scenes of the deep history of Sauron, reaching into Silmarillion territory.

 

[Hand of Evil]

The names of the movies...

With the first film, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey pretty much set in stone for December 14, 2012, it was revealed that the second film will now be called The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, set for December 13, 2013, followed by the third and final film, The Hobbit: There and Back Again (previously the title of the second film,) now set to for July 18, 2014.

Think you can figure where the movies will be starting and ending.

 

[delericho]

I would really like to believe that these films will be equals to the "Lord of the Rings" films. But...

Getting two films out of "The Hobbit" was already a stretch. Going for three, I fear, is a step too far. "The Hobbit" is a slim book, shorter than any one of the three 'books' in "The Lord of the Rings". And it's a simpler story, as well.

My fear is that these films are going to feel... thin, sort of stretched; like butter scraped over too much bread.

Honestly, if they felt the need to make loads of money doing "Lord of the Rings" films, there's an easy means - "The Silmarillion". Several thousand years' worth of history of Middle Earth, conveniently broken into short stories? That's surely got to be good for a film or two.

 

[Cor Azer]

I would really like to believe that these films will be equals to the "Lord of the Rings" films. But...

Getting two films out of "The Hobbit" was already a stretch. Going for three, I fear, is a step too far. "The Hobbit" is a slim book, shorter than any one of the three 'books' in "The Lord of the Rings". And it's a simpler story, as well.

My fear is that these films are going to feel... thin, sort of stretched; like butter scraped over too much bread.

Honestly, if they felt the need to make loads of money doing "Lord of the Rings" films, there's an easy means - "The Silmarillion". Several thousand years' worth of history of Middle Earth, conveniently broken into short stories? That's surely got to be good for a film or two.

I'm not completely sure, but I believe the rights to the Silmarillion have not, and likely will not, been sold outside the Tolkien Estate.

They're able to stretch The Hobbit story by the LotR Appendices (rights to which were sold with those books).

 

[Ahnehnois]

Getting two films out of "The Hobbit" was already a stretch. Going for three, I fear, is a step too far. "The Hobbit" is a slim book, shorter than any one of the three 'books' in "The Lord of the Rings". And it's a simpler story, as well.

True, but LotR produced three very long movies that had (and in the case of Two Towers, desperately needed) even longer extended versions and still cut story elements. Even if the Hobbit and the other source material is of less scope, I still find it reasonable that they could get three shorter, non-extended movies out of it. Given the audience demand, it seems a reasonable step to me.

 

[Mark CMG]

Honestly, if they felt the need to make loads of money doing "Lord of the Rings" films, there's an easy means - "The Silmarillion". Several thousand years' worth of history of Middle Earth, conveniently broken into short stories? That's surely got to be good for a film or two.

There's an HBO series in that. Several seasons, I should think.

 

[Rune]

There's an HBO series in that. Several seasons, I should think.

No thank you. I could do without the soft-core porn version of The Silmarillion, thankyouverymuch!