Showbits

The Lord of the Rings made for an epic cinematic tale that debuted in the 2001 holiday season, becoming an annual tradition until the trilogy's conclusion in 2003.

Now we have another three years of J.R.R. Tolkien adaptations to look forward to, as this December 14 sees the premiere of the first of three movies based on The Hobbit, the tale that precedes LotR. (It's not a prequel, as The Hobbit was written first.)

Three movies from only one book is possible because we'll be seeing many of the sequences and scenes that were only hinted at in the original narrative. If you wondered where various characters disappeared to while the story followed the main party, Peter Jackson's The Hobbit trilogy will fill in those gaps. Although skeptics and pundits may decry this elongation as a desperate money grab, one must admit that it's a darn effective one: who's going to see just two-thirds of this tale, especially given previous successes in the series?

Back when the original trailer was released, The Hobbit was still envisioned as a duology. The latest trailer is the first to preview the trilogy and shows more of the scenes that are unique to the film:

I'll be in line on or near each of the three opening nights. What about you?

(Hat tip to Jason Schreier)