Third 'Hobbit' Installment Takes a New Title

When you head to theaters December 12th to check out the final installment of the "Hobbit" series, don't be alarmed when you can't find "There and Back Again."

The once quaintly named finale will be undergoing a title change to "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies."

It doesn't roll off the tongue quite as easily, perhaps, but director Peter Jackson explains the reason behind the change in a statement on his Facebook page.

"Our journey to make The Hobbit Trilogy has been in some ways like Bilbo's own, with hidden paths revealing their secrets to us as we've gone along. 'There and Back Again' felt like the right name for the second of a two film telling of the quest to reclaim Erebor, when Bilbo’s arrival there, and departure, were both contained within the second film. But with three movies, it suddenly felt misplaced – after all, Bilbo has already arrived 'there' in the 'Desolation of Smaug.'

When we did the premiere trip late last year, I had a quiet conversation with the studio about the idea of revisiting the title. We decided to keep an open mind until a cut of the film was ready to look at. We reached that point last week, and after viewing the movie, we all agreed there is now one title that feels completely appropriate.

And so: 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies' it is.

As Professor Tolkien intended, 'There and Back Again' encompasses Bilbo’s entire adventure, so don’t be surprised if you see it used on a future box-set of all three movies."

What do you think of the new title? It's no "Desolation of Smaug," that's for sure, but does it have the same ring as "There and Back Again?"