The film formerly known as “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” has a new title.
Director Peter Jackson announced via his Facebook page Thursday that “Again” will now be titled “The Battle of the Five Armies” when MGM and Warner Bros. release it later this year.
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“When we did the premiere trip late last year, I had a quiet conversation with the studio about the idea of revisiting the title,” Jackson wrote. “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.”
“Five Armies” marks the third and final film in Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” prequel trilogy. Fan site TheOneRing.net reported last week that New Line had registered the title “Into the Fire” for the next “Hobbit” installment, along with “Five Armies.”
Jackson also posted that fans of the film’s original title may see it “used on a future box-set of all three movies.”
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The Oscar-winning director is currently editing “Five Armies,” while also overseeing work on an extended cut of last year’s hit, “Desolation of Smaug.” According to Jackson, the latter will feature more than 25 minutes of “new scenes, all scored with original music composed by Howard Shore.”
“Battle of the Five Armies” arrives in theaters December 17, 2014.