It seems that the “Lord of the Rings” prequels, “The Hobbit,” are ever troubled. Original director Guillermo Del Toro had plans of releasing the two prequels in 2-D. He has since departed due to trouble with the studio. The New York Times reports that plan hasn’t held together, either. The success of the past few 3-D films has caused the studio to change its mind. (This despite how suspiciously bad the 3-D version of “Clash of the Titans” was.) Though no deal has been made to guarantee the 3-D release, we should know in a few days when the film is green lit. Unfortunately, it isn’t clear whether it will be filmed in 3-D or converted in post production.
It also seems they might also be planning a December 18, 2012 release for the first film after James Cameron's "Avatar" had so much success opening around the same time in 2009.
Hopefully this news comes to fruition. If so, 2012 really will be the greatest nerd year!