Still from ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug’

The final Hobbit has acquired a new title, The Battle of the Five Armies. Peter Jackson announced the title for the third movie, which marks the closing to this middle earth journey.

The original title of the film being There and Back Again, this newer title focuses more on the collective battle, rather than on Bilbo’s individual expedition home.

Jackson decided on the name change last week, after reviewing a final cut of his film. He announced the title change, via his Facebook page. At the premiere trip late last year he, “had a quiet conversation with the studio about the idea of revisiting the title.” Upon the viewing last week, he decided There and Back Again didn’t fit the picture’s message: “But with three movies, it suddenly felt misplaced- after all, Bilbo has already arrived “there” in the “Desolation of Smaug.”‘

Nevertheless, the title There and Back Again will still be incorporated on a future box set of all three movies, as the movies wouldn’t be possible if it were not for Tolkein’s creation of The Hobbit stories. The director Jackson acknowledged, “As Professor Tolkien intended, “‘There and Back Again’ encompasses Bilbo’s entire adventure.”

Jackson also stated that an extended edition of the second Hobbit film, The Desolation of Smaug (2013) is in the works. It will include over 25 minutes of never before seen footage.

We look forward to revisiting the Hobbit world one last time. Set 60 years before The Lord of The Rings. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies will hit theaters on December 17.