People have been pretty split on Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy, with the majority of the Internet falling into the camp of “waaaah why does it have to be three movies one ticket for the midnight showing please.” I like them myself, and I think that The Desolation of Smaug was a huge improvement over An Unexpected Journey.
Anyway, that has nothing to do with this news: the third film, previously called The Hobbit: There and Back Again, is now called The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Alternate title: The Hobbit: The Battle of Feivel Goes West.
From Peter Jackson’s Facebook page:
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, it 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!
Personally, I prefer There and Back Again. The Battle of the Five Armies tells me where the focus of the third film will be: on huge battle scenes, which Jackson has a near-fetishistic approach to. But I don’t know what I’m complaining about; Pelennor Fields and Helm’s Deep were great. What do you guys think?
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