Third and Final Hobbit Film Gets New Title

There has been a lot of talk and rumors over the past week or so about a title change of the third and final Hobbit film, previously titled “There and Back Again” (also the title of Bilbo’s book within the story).  We now officially know the film will be titled The Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies. The announcement was confirmed through a recent post on Peter Jackson’s Facebook page, stating:

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.

the-hobbit-battle-of-five-armies

Jackson also writes about the editing process of the third film along with the release of an extended cut of the second film “The Desolation of Smaug“.

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!

Like many fans of the franchise, the final Hobbit film is at the top of my most anticipated movies of 2014. I am also very excited to see the extended cut of The Desolation of Smaug, although not to thrilled about buying a second copy of the same movie..

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies opens in U.S. theaters on December 17th, 2014.

About Sean McAloon

I am a Philadelphia based journalist, who is obsessed with movies and television. I is also a comic book enthusiast , although i can't keep up with everything. I like to spend my free time trying to working on short films. I currently work as an editor for popculturemadness.com and darkmediaonline.com, focusing on entertainment news, interviews and public relations. I studied business management & marketing at Goldey Beacom College.

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