Middle-earth beckons once more this November, with Warner Bros. set to debut The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Extended Edition on Blu-Ray and DVD this Fall. Bundling together extra-long cut that fans have been pining for, a report earlier this month suggested that the MPAA ratings would grant the extended cut with an R rating. And today, Warner has confirmed that the Extended Edition will indeed hold nothing back.
Kicking the PG-13, family-friendly cut to the curb, it looks as though we’re finally getting the chance to see the action-packed conclusion to the Hobbit trilogy that Peter Jackson had intended. What exactly this extra footage will contain is still up for question, though the safest bet seems to be a fresh wave of CG violence.
As for the special features included in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Extended Edition, Warner Bros. offered up a breakdown of the never-before-seen bonuses, which will surely pique the interest of long-time fans of Middle-earth and Tolkien’s seminal series.
- Commentary with director/producer/writer Peter Jackson and co-producer/writer Philippa Boyens
- The Appendices – The Appendices Parts XI and XII showcase a chronological history of the filming of The Battle of the Five Armies, documenting the work done on set chronologically through the three shooting blocks and in the world of its digital effects.
- New Zealand: Home of Middle-earth – Part 3
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies Extended Edition will arrive in the form of 3D Blu-ray and 2D Blu-ray Digital HD combo packs come November 17th.
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies brings to an epic conclusion the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield and the Company of Dwarves. Having reclaimed their homeland from the Dragon Smaug, the Company has unwittingly unleashed a deadly force into the world. Enraged, Smaug rains his fiery wrath down upon the defenseless men, women and children of Lake-town. Obsessed above all else with his reclaimed treasure, Thorin sacrifices friendship and honor to hoard it as Bilbo’s frantic attempts to make him see reason drive the Hobbit towards a desperate and dangerous choice. But there are even greater dangers ahead.
