Peter Jackson - Third Hobbit Film Set For July 2014 Release

Third Hobbit Film Set For July 2014 Release

The third 'Hobbit' film will be released on July 18, 2014.

The final instalment of Peter Jackson's trilogy has been officially named 'The Hobbit: There and Back Again' and will open in two years time, just seven months after the second film - now called 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug'.

Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution, explained: ''We wanted to have a shorter gap between the second and third films.

''Opening in July affords us not only the perfect summer tentpole, but fans will have less time to wait for the finale of this epic adventure.''

Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, president of international distribution, added: '''The Hobbit: There and Back Again' will be an action spectacle and an emotional conclusion for this already much-anticipated trilogy.

''Opening in the summer will maximise playability for what promises to be an event film for fans the world over.''

The hotly-anticipated adaptation of J.R.R Tolkien's epic novels about the adventures of Bilbo Baggins - which are set 60 years before 'The Lord Of The Rings' - will launch with 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' on December 13, 2013.

The film boasts an all-star cast including Martin Freeman, Sir Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett and Orlando Bloom.