In another thread I wandered off-topic & wondered -
Peter Jackson has just confirmed that they are going to make a third Hobbit movie:
1. 'An Unexpected Journey'
2. 'There & Back Again'

3. Unknown 3rd title - based on the appendices from LotR ('Hunt for Gollum'?; 'The White Council'?; 'The Necromancer'?)

Valarian responded -

I think you've hit the nail on the head Valarian - the story of Aragorn will serve PJ well as a segue into LotR. It also allows for depiction of the hunt for Gollum, and subsequent reference to Legolas' reason for his journey to Rivendell (in time for The Council of Elrond).
That said - in all the discussion of the returning actors from LotR - there has been no mention of Viggo at all.... what has PJ got in its pocketses!

The real story behind the third Hobbit movie:

PJ in editing room in July: "Look at all the footage we have! There's no way we're going to fit it all in two movies, not even counting the Extended cuts!"

End of story.

Francesco

Not quite because he said they'll be going back to do more shooting next year.

Looking at the press release over on the Official Hobbit FB page, it looks like the title of the second movie "There and Back Again" has been dropped.

Also, the company employed by Middle Earth Enterprises to protect name copyright, MarkMonitor, has just registered domains names associated with the following - The Riddles in the Dark and Desolation of Smaug (source)

New titles possibly?

I'm still hoping we get to see Aragorn hunt down Gollum in the Dead Marshes and what Sauron does once he realises that Gandalf has access to Gollum.

Mmmmm. I think Francesco is right. Additional shooting might be just a few scenes to stick previous material together due to new editing.

Maybe. I guess we'll find out eventually.

I'm not sure how splitting the 2 Hobbit films into 3 films will work. I'm assuming that some of the appendix stuff will be used to bulk it out but surely that means filming a fair amount of new material.

I just hope there isn't too much 'made up' stuff in it.

Maybe the Battle of Dwarves and Orcs will be told as a story within a story rather than as a prologue as many first thought.

I'm interested how it's all going to work.

Bilbo telling the story to Frodo, with Gandalf's Tale and Thorin's Tale and The Coming of Smaug and maybe some other folk's tales inbedded in the story.

Who knows?

From the news here in Wellington, it appears that the Battle of the Five Armies is being moved into the third movie, making the possibility that movie three is about Aragorn's Errantries and the Hunt for Gollum unlikely. I think we will see:

Movie 1: Bilbo's Journey to Laketown
Movie 2: Dol Guldur and Smaug
Movie 3: Battle of the Five Armies and aftermath

Maybe movie #2 will be "there" and movie #3 will be "and back again"

That was my guess until a friend suggested:

Movie 1: The Phantom Hobbit
Movie 2: Attack of the Hobbit
Movie 3: Revenge of the Hobbit

That's about sums it up.

Hiyas:

I bet it's more like:

Bilbo Begins

The Dark Hobbit

The Dark Hobbit Rises

Ñ

Raiders of the Lost Hoard

Bilbo Baggins and the Goblin Caves Of Doom

Bilbo Baggins and the Last Dragon

They casted Azog so I think there could be some scenes about Orc-Dwarf War and Azog story which could take a lot of time. I hope they won't add original content.

At least regarding the level of quality we should expect to see!

(Yep, not a fan of PJ here)

Heh these are the best ones I've seen yet.

Better than:

The Hobbit

The Hobbit Reloaded

Hobbit Revolutions

I'd just thought I'd share the name suggested for the third film on another site.

50 Shades of Gandalf The Grey

Love it! LOL

Very disturbing images to come to mind. Thanks for that.

I would think the split between the movies would be more like:
1) Shire into (but not out of) Goblintown
2) Leaving Goblintown to Laketown & Gandalf's investigation of Dol Guldur
3) Laketown onward

Smaug is problematic in a three movie deal. Does he get killed in #2 or the beginning of #3? All depends on how they're telling the story but my guess is, assuming they're padding out the movies with a few extra details for continuity, that Smaug dies in the 3rd. It allows PJ to linger on the Bo5A scenes which otherwise would be seriously glossed over (since Bilbo passes out).

With those reserved titles, the Dark implies it is covering everything from the Riddle Game with Gollum, the dwarve's experiences in Mirkwood and the Halls of the Elven King, as well as the events Gandalf experienced in and around Dol Guldur. We might see flashbacks of Gandalf remembering his first visit to Dol Guldur - particularly Azog, the death of Thror, passing of the Map. As well as the Necromancer's withdrawal.

It's also possible (slim chance, but still) we will see some passing reference to events during LoTR's War of the Ring as it effects Wilderland. If you remember the intro of PJ's movies there were historical scenes seen to establish things. I'm thinking of something similar, but done as more of an "out-ro" or epilogue. Assuming Kate Blanchett does the voice-over at the end you could kind of just "but that was another story..." and fade to black. Which sets up her voicing the first LoTR movie.

As to PJ making a 3rd movie... I'm sure he had the idea in mind right from the beginning. While, from what I understand, any movie ends up with substantial material cut out and "left on the cutting room floor", PJ is kind of notorious for cutting, being unsatisfied with results, and then putting stuff back in - if he can manage to get his way via director's cut or sequel.

And around 20 years later they'll dust off the Bilbo character and have a 4th adventure Kingdom of the Crystal Hobbit which will involve Bilbo's lost son. I'm not sure how Bilbo's lost son and Frodo will get along. Maybe Samwise will actually turn out to be Bilbo's lost son, and Rosie his twin sister.

For Elanor's sake, I hope not!