To be honest I was pretty skeptical of this initially, thinking it was just fanboys hearing what they wanted to, but its starting to look more like the real thing. This really could end up being "Khazâd Dumb", the Stupid Bridge Movie.
The LA Times writes more on the speculation that Warner Bros. and Peter Jackson are looking to convert the planned two Hobbit films into a trilogy: (New info bolded below)
The Burbank film studio originally planned to release two “Hobbit” movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s literary prelude to “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, and principal photography on those two pictures finished in New Zealand this month. The first is set to come out in December, followed by the second in December 2013. The two films combined cost about $500 million.
But Jackson has concluded that there is enough material from the book, as well as the extensive appendixes to “The Lord of the Rings,” to make a third film, according to three people who were not authorized to speak publicly. New Line Cinema, the Warner Bros. unit overseeing production of the movies, is eager to see it happen, and talks are underway with actors and others who would need to sign off on the plan.
We focus on this story because it is brand new and seems to imply that the LA Times has acquired additional information from what was previously reported during Comic-Con.
I know it's the argument from incredulity, but I simply can't believe they wouldn't have announced this at Comic-Con when they had serious media focus, were it true.
ETA: Although there's that PJ interview from the 18th where he does leave it open. Urrm.
I think he might be mischief making, athough when there are massive sums of money involved the unlikely and improbable can happen
Since 1410 most Welsh people most of the time have abandoned any idea of independence as unthinkable. But since 1410 most Welsh people, at some time or another, if only in some secret corner of the mind, have been "out with Owain and his barefoot scrubs." For the Welsh mind is still haunted by it's lightning-flash vision of a people that was free.
It still might be journalistic spin. I hope so. I see little hope of either a third Hobbit film or a bridge or other appendix-based film being a good thing. Khazâd-Dumb, indeed!
(Although the frenzy about it at TORN is entertaining, at least.)
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
Well, there's definitely some journalistic spin - PJ talks quite clearly and openly here at Comic-Con about the material he is interested in "from around the time of the Hobbit"
He describes his vision as "not exactly a bridge movie but ways of expanding the Hobbit story..."
and in this further interview also from the same time at Comic-Con, when asked specifically about TABA being split into two, he makes it clearer that he hasn't been able to film some stuff from the Appendices (due to WB/studio restrictions rather than legal ones??) which he would like to film, possibly for EEs of THE HOBBIT:
I'm clinging to the hope that this is the truer picture and a 3rd film is NOT likely...
There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound.
~Diana Cortes
He quite clearly says "a 3rd movie has always been in discussion" right before the comment you quoted. This is not what I'd call spin. When the director says, in effect, "we always wanted to do a 3rd film and there's enough material to do it", you can't blame a journalist for running with that.
I still don't believe it. And yes, I realize that da Nile is not just a river in Egypt.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
He could be dangling a third film in front of the fans in order to use their reaction as an argument for significantly fleshing out the story in the EEs (getting to film much more new material).
That's really what I would like to see. Not The Hobbit story (so much slighter than LotR's) stretched out creaking over three long films, and not some hash of a bridge film that can't really have a strong beginning or a strong ending, or a coherent focus. Just more depth and detail where it fits into the story, and presented in such a way that those who think it's extraneous can ignore it, by not watching the EEs, and still enjoy The Hobbit to whatever extent their sensibilities allow.
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
I completely agree, Prim, and I hope that is what ultimately will happen. There is so much buzz right now about a third film right now, though, that I think that they need to either fish or cut bait soon, or it will have a negative effect.
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
I just doesn't make sense to me to go back to the bridge movie idea after 2 Hobbit movies - especially with AUJ so close to release.
I was always a fan of the Hobbit plus bridge movie idea and helped create a fan script for such a movie on the old Hobbit Blog site, (which you can see over in the HoF scriptwriting thread!) - the idea behind our movies being that the first movie was simply THE HOBBIT (from Bilbo's perspective) and the bridge movie showed events in the bigger M-e picture more from Gandalf's perspective, including the WC and Aragorn's time in the wilds up to his betrothal to Arwen.
There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound.
~Diana Cortes
It's official! There is even already an official logo for the third film:
Thanks to theHutt at TORN
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
There is magic in long-distance friendships. They let you relate to other human beings in a way that goes beyond being physically together and is often more profound.
~Diana Cortes
“There, peeping among the cloud-wrack above a dark tor high up in the mountains, Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him. For like a shaft, clear and cold, the thought pierced him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty for ever beyond its reach.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Return of the King
"Spirits in the shape of hawks and eagles flew ever to and from his halls; and their eyes could see to the depths of the seas, and pierce the hidden caverns beneath the world."
There is no amount of screwing up that PJ could do that would surprise me.
For the TROUBLED may you find PEACE
For the DESPAIRING may you find HOPE
For the LONELY may you find LOVE
For the SKEPTICAL may you find FAITH
-Frances C. Arrillaga 1941-1995
This really could end up being "Khazâd Dumb", the Stupid Bridge Movie.
Nice one!
