Peter Jackson may not be done with Middle Earth after all.
After directing the massively successful Lord of the Rings trilogy, Jackson handed the reins over to Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth), who is now behind two movie adaptations of The Hobbit.
But now Marketsaw, a blog devoted to 3-D features, reports that not only will The Hobbit be in 3-D, but Jackson may direct a third movie that acts as a bridge between The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, its chronological successor. (A third film that del Toro ruled out two months ago.)
The author of the article quotes someone described as "one of my most trusted sources." Here's what that source had to say.
I think The Hobbit may be a different beast to the book, at least in terms of going darker.... I can tell you this: Peter Jackson is very keen to have the two part Hobbit tale set in 3D. Del Toro, however, is holding back on that school of thought. At least for the time being.
I'm hearing word — and it's only speculation at the moment — that it wont be two films. It will be three. The two parts and the bridge movie. Word alone is not trustworthy. However I hear this from lots of people and have seen things to indicate this may be the way it is heading.
We can only imagine how ecstatic this would make die-hard Lord of the Rings fans (ourselves included), should it prove to be true. It remains a shame, though, that we'll have to wait more than two years to see anything, since the first movie in the Hobbit ... trilogy? ... is not due in theaters until December 2011.