The Hobbit (film series)

The Hobbit
Cover of The Hobbit: The Motion Picture Trilogy
Directed by	Peter Jackson
Screenplay by	Fran Walsh Philippa Boyens Peter Jackson Guillermo del Toro
Based on	The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
Produced by	Carolynne Cunningham Zane Weiner Fran Walsh Peter Jackson
Starring	Ian McKellen Martin Freeman Richard Armitage Benedict Cumberbatch Evangeline Lilly Lee Pace Luke Evans James Nesbitt Ken Stott Stephen Fry Cate Blanchett Ian Holm Christopher Lee Hugo Weaving Elijah Wood Orlando Bloom Andy Serkis
Cinematography	Andrew Lesnie
Edited by	Jabez Olssen
Music by	Howard Shore
Production companies	New Line Cinema Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures WingNut Films
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release dates	14 December 2012 (2012-12-14) (An Unexpected Journey) 13 December 2013 (2013-12-13) (The Desolation of Smaug) 17 December 2014 (2014-12-17) (The Battle of the Five Armies)
Running time	474 minutes (Theatrical edition) 532 minutes (Extended edition)
Countries	New Zealand United States
Language	English
Budget	$700–745 million[1][2][3][4]
Box office	$2.938 billion

The Hobbit is a series of three epic high fantasy adventure films directed by Peter Jackson. The films are subtitled An Unexpected Journey (2012), The Desolation of Smaug (2013), and The Battle of the Five Armies (2014).^[5] The films are based on the 1937 novel The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien, with large portions of the trilogy inspired by the appendices to The Return of the King, which expand on the story told in The Hobbit, as well as new material and characters written especially for the films. Together they act as a prequel to Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

The screenplays were written by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Jackson, and Guillermo del Toro, who was originally chosen to direct before his departure from the project. The films take place in the fictional world of Middle-earth sixty years before the beginning of The Lord of the Rings and follow hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), who is convinced by the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) to accompany thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch). The films expand upon certain elements from the novel and other source material, such as Gandalf's investigation at Dol Guldur which leads him to the Necromancer, and the heroes' pursuit by the orcs Azog and Bolg, who seek vengeance against Thorin and his kindred.

The films feature an ensemble cast that includes James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace and Luke Evans, with several actors reprising their roles from The Lord of the Rings, including Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, and Andy Serkis. The films also feature Manu Bennett, Sylvester McCoy, Mikael Persbrandt, Lawrence Makoare, and Stephen Fry. Returning for production, among others, were illustrators John Howe and Alan Lee, art director Dan Hennah, cinematographer Andrew Lesnie, and composer Howard Shore, while props were again crafted by Wētā Workshop, with visual effects managed by Weta Digital.

The first film in the trilogy premiered at the Embassy Theatre in Wellington on 28 November 2012. 100,000 people lined the red carpet on Courtenay Place, and the entire event was broadcast live on television in New Zealand and streamed over the Internet. The second film of the series premiered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on 2 December 2013. The final film premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square in London on 1 December 2014.^[6] The series received mixed reviews, but was a financial success and became one of the highest-grossing film series of all time having grossed over $2.9 billion worldwide. It was nominated for various awards and won several, although not as many as the original trilogy.^[7][8][9]