Peter Jackson changes third Hobbit film title

Actor Richard Armitage as the dwarf Thorin Oakenshield.

Director Peter Jackson has announced the news that his third instalment of The Hobbit franchise has had a new name, and rather than The Hobbit: There And Back Again, it is called, The Hobbit: The Battle Of Five Armies.

“Our journey to make The Hobbit Trilogy has been in some ways like Bilbo’s own, with hidden paths revealing their secrets to us as we’ve gone along. ‘There and Back Again’ felt like the right name for the second of a two film telling of the quest to reclaim Erebor, when Bilbo’s arrival there, and departure, were both contained within the second film. But with three movies, it suddenly felt misplaced—after all, Bilbo has already arrived “there” in the ‘Desolation of Smaug’.

“When we did the premiere trip late last year, I had a quiet conversation with the studio about the idea of revisiting the title. We decided to keep an open mind until a cut of the film was ready to look at. We reached that point last week, and after viewing the movie, we all agreed there is now one title that feels completely appropriate.

“And so: ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ it is.”

What do you think of The Hobbit 3’s new title?