The Hobbit movie

[Volznut]

will now be a trilogy...was going to be two movies

https://www.facebook.com/notes/the-hobbit/peter-jacksons-long-awaited-filmed-adaptation-of-the-hobbit-to-be-a-trilogy/413954741973470

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOGsB9dORBg

[BanditVol]

Not sure that's a good thing.  I heard they were already stretching it out and adding stuff to get two movies.  I suspect the final product will not resemble the book much.  Oh well, should be entertaining to watch anyway.

[Clockwork Orange]

Not sure that's a good thing.  I heard they were already stretching it out and adding stuff to get two movies.  I suspect the final product will not resemble the book much.  Oh well, should be entertaining to watch anyway.

My understanding is that they will be using material from the LOTR appendices to supplement The Hobbit itself. That material ties together the two stories, and from a cinematic perspective it makes a lot of sense to do that. Will it be totally true to The Hobbit and only The Hobbit? No, but I think Peter Jackson has earned the benefit of the doubt with the his masterful treatment of Tolkien to this point.

[BanditVol]

Okay, well if it's based on the appendices, well and good.  Not sure there's a ton of material in there, but I would imagine that Gandalf's visit to the Necromancer's dungeons where he discovers the map would be one example, and maybe some of the other background like that.

I had originally heard that they planned to expand the return journey, which, while intriguing, would pretty much be a bunch of new stuff. 

[BanditVol]

Okay, I did some quick research.   The book says "he had many hardships and adventures before he got back" and also "but he was never again in great danger". 

Still, I suppose they could make up a great deal of stuff about the trip home, on which he was accompanied by Gandalf and Beorn.

The story I read said that the "tale of Erebor", a late short story that ties together many of the loose ends will also be featured, but I have read that and it largely covers the stuff that happens before the Hobbit, so if it's in there it would seem to be part of the first movie.

I am not sure what else out of the Appendices they could use, though there is a good deal about the Goblin and Dwarf war that sets the stage for the Dwarves to move to the mountain to begin with.

The article states the obvious that the studio wants to milk it for as much as possible, which I am sure is true. 

I thought splitting it into two movies was quesionable, and three seems almost a disaster.

Then again, the LOTR left out a whole bunch of stuff, and was really shortened up, in spite of spanning three movies.

Frankly, there probably is enough in the original for two movies and if they really embellish the return trip they can do the third.  I don't really like it, but as you say, Jackson will probably not disappoint.  I definitely trust him to stick to the spirit of the original - though anyone can get greedy and he might get overuled by the studio on some things.

[BanditVol]

Ok, last post on this...I meant to add, that if the studio really wants more movies they should consider adapting a couple of the better stories from the Silmarillion like Beren and Luthien, or Turin Turumbar (though that one would be depressing, lol). 

But I suppose the way the studio thinks about it, most everyone has heard of the Hobbit and the LOTR, while the Silmarrillion is much less well-known to the general public, and not even as widely read by fans of the series.

Still, I bet they could get a decent return out of one movie on it.   But they probably see the Hobbit as more of a sure thing, and if studios want anything it's a sure thing.