Two and a half hours of holidaying hobbit not enough for you? Then you'll be wanting the new Extended Edition of Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug," which adds 25 minutes to the 161-minute theatrical cut.
Hopefully there'll be more singing. Or walking. Or walking while singing.
Having already stretched JRR Tolkien's 300-page novel into three two-hour movies, Jackson has now added just under half an hour onto the latest of the three for its Blu-ray and DVD release. The extended edition is released on 3 November to get you in the mood for the third and final film in the series, "The Battle of the Five Armies," hitting UK cinemas on 12 December, US theatres on 17 December, and reaching Australia on 26 December.
Released last Christmas, "The Desolation of Smaug" is the second in the "Hobbit" trilogy, following "An Unexpected Journey." Featuring "Sherlock" stars Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins and Benedict Cumberbatch as the voice of the dragon Smaug, the trilogy is a prequel to Jackson's adaptation of Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings."
The prequel trilogy also sees Ian McKellen return as Gandalf while Orlando Bloom takes a break from handbags at dawn with Justin Bieber to reprise his role as Legolas.
The extra 25 minutes for "Desolation" tips the clock to just over three hours. Added to the film are extended individual scenes, with making of documentaries and commentaries from director Jackson and writer Philippa Boyens also included. The extended edition includes a 3D Blu-ray, regular Blu-ray, and a DVD. You also get a digital copy of the movie to store and watch online via the UltraViolet cloud locker service. Prices will be confirmed nearer release.
The first three "Lord of the Rings," already pins-and-needles-inducingly lengthy, were previously given the extended edition treatment, taking the total running time to a bum-bothering twelve hours and six minutes.
