Sebelumnya, pembicaraan mengenai pembuatan The Hobbit sebagai sebuah trilogi masih bersifat gosip dan spekulasi. Namun, kali ini, Peter Jackson akhirnya angkat bicara secara pribadi. Dalam Facebook page-nya, Jackson, mewakili New Line Cinema, Warner Bros., MGM, Wingnut Films, dan para pemeran film ini, menyatakan bahwa The Hobbit resmi akan menjadi trilogi.

Berikut adalah pernyataan lengkap yang telah dirilis oleh Peter Jackson.

An unexpected journey

by Peter Jackson

 

It is only at the end of a shoot that you finally get the chance to sit down and have a look at the film you have made. Recently Fran, Phil and I did just this when we watched for the first time an early cut of the first movie - and a large chunk of the second. We were really pleased with the way the story was coming together, in particular, the strength of the characters and the cast who have brought them to life.  All of which gave rise to a simple question: do we take this chance to tell more of the tale? And the answer from our perspective as the filmmakers, and as fans, was an unreserved ‘yes.'

We know how much of the story of Bilbo Baggins, the Wizard Gandalf, the Dwarves of Erebor, the rise of the Necromancer, and the Battle of Dol Guldur will remain untold if we do not take this chance.  The richness of the story of The Hobbit, as well as some of the related material in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, allows us to tell the full story of the adventures of Bilbo Baggins and the part he played in the sometimes dangerous, but at all times exciting, history of Middle-earth.

So, without further ado and on behalf of New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Wingnut Films, and the entire cast and crew of “The Hobbit” films, I’d like to announce that two films will become three.

It has been an unexpected journey indeed, and in the words of Professor Tolkien himself, "a tale that grew in the telling."

 

Cheers,

Peter J

 

Jackson sudah lama menyatakan keinginannya untuk menjembatani kisah antara The Hobbit dan trilogi The Lord of the Rings. Kelihatannya, jembatan tersebut akhirnya akan dibangun Jackson secara bertahap melalui ketiga film Hobbit yang akan datang. Meski tidak mendapatkan hak untuk mengadaptasi kisah Silmarillion, Jackson cukup percaya diri bahwa apendiks sepanjang 125 halaman yang ditambahkan di belakang buku The Return of the King akan menjadi dasar yang cukup baginya untuk membangun kisah yang solid.

Bagian apendiks tersebut bercerita tentang silsilah raja-raja Númenor, Gondor dan keturunan dari Isildur, kisah tentang Aragorn dan Arwen, serta timeline lengkap dari kejadian-kejadian yang terjadi di Middle Earth. Karena itu, tak heran bahwa para pemeran yang sebelumnya hadir di trilogi The Lord of the Rings kembali hadir di film The Hobbit karena dengan adanya cerita ini, kehadiran mereka dapat dijustifikasi.