We all knew it was simply a matter of time, but at long last Warner Bros. has finally announced the details of the upcoming release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: Extended Edition. On November 4th, you can bring home the extended cut, which will feature 25 minutes of never-before-seen footage and over nine hours of brand new special features, which will include the following:
Commentary with Peter Jackson, Director/Producer/Screenwriter and Philippa Boyens, Co-Producer/Screenwriter
· The Appendices – The Appendices Parts IX and X showcase an immersive multi-part history of the filming of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, covering pre-production in the various departments of the film in the months leading up to the start of principal photography, training, the work done on set and in the world of its digital effects.
· New Zealand: Home of Middle-earth – Part 2
I don’t know about you, but I’m very excited for this release. The extended release of the first Hobbit film was incredible. Granted, the scenes didn’t add much to the already great film, but the nine hours of in-depth extras made it worth the purchase alone, and now it looks like we’re going to be treated to even more fascinating looks behind the scenes.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Desolation of Smaug as well, though not quite as much as the first film. Despite it only being a relatively short two and a half hours, there were parts near the end that I felt could have been trimmed down a bit to make it flow better, but, as always, I’m very curious to see what had to be left out of the theatrical release. With about double the amount of footage being added this time, hopefully it will be something that makes a big difference.
As an added treat, we also have our first look at a deleted scene from the upcoming release that features more of our heroes’ adventures in Mirkwood. Check it out below along with the box art, and remember, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug: Extended Edition will be available for purchase starting November 4th.
