'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,' 'The Hobbit: There And Back Again': Peter Jackson's Hobbit Films Get Names

After years of speculation, health delays and a recent slew of Facebook updates and casting news, Peter Jackson's next foray into Middle Earth was finally made official over the weekend, as the official names of his two-part big screen adaptation of "The Hobbit" were announced to the world.

With Orlando Bloom returning as Legolas and joining, amongst others, Elijah Wood as Frodo and Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, New Line and its litany of producing partners felt it safe to unveil to the world the titles that will each, more than likely, be whispered at box stands in billion dollar increments.

Here's the official press release from New Line, Warner Brothers and MGM; for more information, click over to Jackson's Facebook page, where he will work to answer fans questions in between shoots. Click here to see some of his first updates, including a video that takes fans behind the scenes of his costume factory.

New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures and MGM have announced the titles and release dates for filmmaker Peter Jackson's two-film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's enduringly popular masterpiece "The Hobbit." The first film, titled The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, will be released on December 14, 2012. The second film, titled The Hobbit: There and Back Again, is slated for release the following year, on December 13, 2013.

Both films are set in Middle-earth 60 years before Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings," which Jackson and his filmmaking team brought to the big screen in the blockbuster trilogy that culminated with the Oscar®-winning The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The adventure of "The Hobbit" follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug.

Under Jackson's direction, both movies are being shot consecutively in digital 3D using the latest camera and stereo technology. Filming is taking place at Stone Street Studios, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand.

Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, the character he played in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and Martin Freeman, who just won a BAFTA TV Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the BBC series "Sherlock," takes on the central role of Bilbo Baggins. Also reprising their roles from "The Lord of the Rings" movies are: Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Orlando Bloom as Legolas; Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo; Christopher Lee as Saruman; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Elijah Wood as Frodo; and Andy Serkis as Gollum. The ensemble cast also includes (in alphabetical order) Richard Armitage, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Bret McKenzie, Graham McTavish, Mike Mizrahi, James Nesbitt, Dean O’Gorman, Lee Pace, Mikael Persbrandt, Conan Stevens, Ken Stott, Jeffrey Thomas and Aidan Turner.

The screenplays for "The Hobbit" films are by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Guillermo del Toro and Peter Jackson. Jackson is also producing the films, together with Fran Walsh and Carolynne Cunningham. The executive producers are Ken Kamins and Zane Weiner, with Philippa Boyens serving as co-producer.

"The Hobbit" films are productions of New Line Cinema and MGM, with New Line managing production. Warner Bros Pictures is handling worldwide theatrical distribution, with select international territories as well as all international television licensing being handled by MGM.

Comments

[Daniel Rory Lally]

11:04 PM on 06/07/2011

I think that the first movie should be called "The Hobbit" and the second movie something else (perhaps "The Return of the Lord of the Rings") since it is just based on an event mentioned in the novel and the details were either recently made up or taken from other Tolkien books.

Almost all the important actors who did charactors that fit in seem to be reprising their roles and their might even be lesser actors who casted as things like elves and orcs as well. However, Sala Baker who did Sauron is not mentioned and there is not even any sign of Sauron appearing in the second movie.

[formerroadie]

11:27 AM on 06/02/2011

Can't wait!

[marred]

08:00 PM on 06/01/2011

Back to the drawing board Pete. Those are the two titles? How do you come up with names like that when the book was just called "The Hobbit"? Why not just call it the Hobbit and show it in 2 parts?

[WRPrintz]

08:18 PM on 06/01/2011

There and back again is the subtitle of the entire book. A Unexpected Journey is one of the chapter names. He chose them from the source material.

[Pat Padrnos]

09:21 AM on 06/02/2011

Yes. Those "subtitles" are mentioned in various places.

[marred]

07:25 PM on 06/03/2011

Pardon my ignorance but they are still terrible titles.

[JoeGdr]

05:01 PM on 06/01/2011

I have never read or seen anything LOTR-related, though I have been wanting to for some time now. My guess is I have really been missing out.

[Akaash Saini]

04:32 AM on 06/02/2011

Try The Hobbit. It's an easier read than the LOTR.

It's actually a brilliant piece of 20th century literature!

[eetwi]

02:51 PM on 06/02/2011

Yes, absolutely start with The Hobbit. LotR takes some patience, as Tolkien tried to include a whole universe worth of lore and backstory, which can bog down the narrative if you're just after the exciting bits. After you go back to the books, though, all that lore really adds depth and resonance.

[jokamachi]

04:52 PM on 06/01/2011

Excellent. The gang is back together. Let's hope for director's cuts.

[thebigbike]

04:39 PM on 06/01/2011

nice picture there, though I admit I never pictured the hobbits as a boy band of 14 year olds.

[BannedInBoston]

04:22 PM on 06/01/2011

What I'd really like to see Jackson do is Tolkein's posthumous, "The Silmarillion" -- now THERE'S a fantasy epic. It would probably require more episodes than Star _Wars, though....

[Supersteel]

05:29 PM on 06/01/2011

Unfortunately, New Line does not own the rights. Only to LOTR and Hobbit. Nothing in any other Tolkien work. and Tolkien's son apparently was not thrilled with the other movies.

[WoodsideCraig]

06:55 PM on 06/01/2011

The Silmarillion was not a great book, nor even a particularly good one.

[BannedInBoston]

07:09 PM on 06/01/2011

I completely disagree. I like it (far and away) best of all Tolkien's major works. It has breathtaking scope, and deals with fundamental issues of good vs. evil. If the writing is a bit uneven, it's because Tolkien died before he could revise. But frankly, I found the lack of the ingratiating style of "TLOTR" and, especially, "The Hobbit" to be a relief. I would rank Tolkien's major works as follows: 1) The Silmarillion 2) The Lord of the Rings trilogy 3) The Hobbit

[onionboy]

01:43 AM on 06/02/2011

Agreed. It's good for hardcore LOTR fans, but the characters are not half as well thought out as the trilogy. Plus, Tolkien's prose are simply far superior in the trilogy than in anything else he's ever written.

[cariller]

03:56 PM on 06/01/2011

Aidan Turner (Being Human, BBC) is one of the Dwarves... Can't wait!!! I just sounded like one of those people (looking down in shame) I am.

[czs5056]

01:35 PM on 06/01/2011

it came to me
my love
my heart
my own
my prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrecious

[mainemomma]

12:01 AM on 06/02/2011

Yikes! I love it, and can't wait for the movies.

[eetwi]

12:08 PM on 06/01/2011

Mosty I liked the LOTR adaptations Jackson did, but the one thing I dread about these new two is the almost inevitable extra layer of sap that almost ruined the other films for me. The laughing, the hugging, the dewey-eyed looks - all in slo-mo. It doesn't play so badly on the first run-through, when as a viewer you're most emotionally engaged, but watching subsequently I just kept thinking, "OK, cut." And Gandalf in TTT riding into battle wearing that idiotic incongruous grin just because it fit the tone of the ending of that film.

Reservations aside, though, I'm still ridiculously excited.

[mkjohn1]

01:57 PM on 06/01/2011

Couldn't agree more. Whenever I revisit the movies (and I do cuz I love 'em), I have to do so with remote in hand. I'm amazed at the length of some of those slow-mo face shots. It's hard to watch.

[eetwi]

02:55 PM on 06/01/2011

My wife and I can't say the line "share the load" without cracking up.

[Daws]

11:41 AM on 06/01/2011

Omg can't wait! Makes me want to read The Hobbit again. It's been so long.

[Slipperypick]

07:40 AM on 06/01/2011

I hope Jackson takes less liberties with this book than he did with the LotR. I loved "Fellowship" but got progressively dismayed with the next two films. Shocked and astonished at how he butchered the source material and got away with it.
Not too happy that the Hobbit will be split into 2 films. One long film would be enough; if Rankin Bass can make a 50 minute cartoon that covers most of the bases, 3 hours would be a fully realized film.
Sorry, hate to be the lone dissenter here, but I'm just not as excited about this as I would have been 10 years ago.

[Drogo]

08:37 AM on 06/01/2011

The first film is going to be The Hobbit story. The second film is reportedly the story between The Hobbit and LOTR...stuff from the appendicies and talked about but never in the main storyline. It will tie TH and LOTR together.

[Supersteel]

05:31 PM on 06/01/2011

That idea has been dropped. The movie will now be two movies about THe Hobbit with the appendice stuff added to each movie. It will also reportedly open and close with old Bilbo telling the story to young frodo.

[onionboy]

01:48 AM on 06/02/2011

Honestly, I've never understood the "film took liberties with books" argument against any film adaptations. A film should be judged on its merits, as should a book. They are two completely different mediums. Neither any better, in terms of format, than the other. When I see a film that is exactly as I envisioned from the books, I'm disappointed. After all, where's the fun in that? I enjoy film adaptations often when I get to see someone else's vision of what the books were about. I already know my own vision.

[edejan]

02:36 AM on 06/02/2011

In the case of LOTR, the fans had only the books for decaded to read and reread. The first time I saw the films, I knew exactly when each line was out of place. So the fan base was very knowledgeable and involved. The changes in the film were very distracting until I watched them over and over, and got more used to the film versions.

[HappyBalance]

12:15 AM on 06/01/2011

Wooohoo!

Can't wait to see them.

:)

[Jetwash]

11:27 PM on 05/31/2011

For those worried about the Lord of the Rings cast being seen in the Hobbit movies, don't worry, Jackson is filling in spaces between the books. The White Council does meet during the time of the Hobbit when Gandalf takes off to meet with Elrond, Galadriel, and Saruman and Gandalf convinces the council and Saruman that the Necromancer needs to be taken care of near Mirkwood--the Necromancer being one of the Ringwraiths and Sauron. Frodo enters the tale at the beginning I imagine and Legolas with the Wood Elves king and kingdom. It all will fit and what was implied or in the appendices will be incorporated into the films.

[eetwi]

12:38 PM on 06/01/2011

I'm still having trouble envisioning the second movie as a defined dramatic arc. Seems more like interlude/buildup - but there's got to be more to it than that. Right?

[Jetwash]

01:18 PM on 06/01/2011

Well, you can envision the climb up to the mountain as the beginning of the end of the first installment. Bilbo makes it through the mountain and encounters Smaug. Second installment begins with Bilbo back at the mountain and Smaug attacks the village killing people and Bard takes him down. Second installment ends with the resolution of the battle of five armies. Somewhere in these installments, expect Jackson to let us follow Gandalf and his battle with the Necromancer and force him out of Dol Guldor. The Necromancer is found by Gandalf to be Sauron himself and Sauron flees to Mordor. I think these elements will be in the movies because of the presence of Galadriel and Saruman. They compose the White Council and we will get a chance to see them drive out Sauron from Mirkwood to Mordor. While the movie goes back to the Shire it could even end with Sauron setting up shop in Mordor and beginning the search for the One Ring.

[WRPrintz]

08:21 PM on 06/01/2011

Don't forget about Radagast the Brown. That's a walk on role I was born to play baby....

[bellaluna30]

09:53 PM on 05/31/2011

Please, dear Higher Deity, please make Hollyweird realise that NOT EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE IN 3-D. It makes me nauseous and give hubs a migraine. Thereby eliminating any of our movie-going dollars.

[HappyBalance]

12:17 AM on 06/01/2011

I am right there with you.

[JoeGdr]

05:03 PM on 06/01/2011

I am sure Peter Jackson knows better, like Chrstopher Nolan when he declined to shoot Inception in 3D because he knew it would detract from the story.