Peter Jackson has recently wrapped filming on the third film in The Hobbit trilogy, and now Warner Bros. has announced that an extended version of the first film is coming to Blu-Ray...in the US only for now though. The longer cut will feature an extra 12 minutes of previously unseen footage, and fans will be able to choose from a 3-disc Blu-Ray or 5-disc DVD, or the more expensive 5-disc 3D Blu-ray set. Says Peter Jackson of the release:
“I’m thrilled that the Extended Edition will give fans the opportunity to experience certain key scenes in the film as they were originally shot, as well as an abundance of special features. It’s exciting to present this expanded and enriched version of An Unexpected Journey to allow fans to fully immerse themselves in the movie, before seeing the second part of the trilogy.”
Of course, that's not all! Just like the extended cuts of the
Lord Of The Rings trilogy, this set will contain The Appendices -- "nearly nine hours of new bonus features," which will consist of a commentary track, documentaries and other Tolkien snippets:
"The Appendices – A multi-part chronological history of the filming of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, covering pre-production in the various departments of the film in the months leading up to the start of principal photography, the boot camp training for the main cast, the work done on set chronologically through the three shooting blocks and in the world of its digital effects."
For now the only official release date is for the downloadable version on October 22nd, with the traditional boxed edition available on the 5th November. It's assumed that the sets will be available in the UK around the same time.