Source: Empire Magazine

Previously, it was reported that Guillermo Del Toro and Peter Jackson were making two Hobbit films (debuting in 2011 and 2012), the first one focusing on the actual book and the other bridging the 60-year gap between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring.

Now, in an interview with Empire Magazine, Jackson and Del Toro have revealed that their plan is now to officially span The Hobbit over the two films, taking more time to flesh out The Hobbit. They had this to say:

“We’ve decided to have The Hobbit span the two movies, including the White Council and the comings and goings of Gandalf to Dol Guldur,” says Del Toro.

“We decided it would be a mistake to try to cram everything into one movie,” adds Jackson. “The essential brief was to do The Hobbit, and it allows us to make The Hobbit in a little more style, if you like, of the [LOTR] trilogy.”

I actually think this is a good idea. Originally, the idea was to grab material from the Appendices and form it into a second film to bridge the gap between the two books. But I like this idea better. Just give The Hobbit time to tell the story.

Cool news! You can read Empire’s article here. The full interview with Del Toro and Jackson hits news stands April 23rd.