"The Hobbit" is not the end, "The Silmarillion" is coming

After six productions and almost 20 hours of film material, "The Battle of the Five Armies" is the final chapter of the trilogy "The Hobbit", directed by Peter Jackson. Many fans welcome the news of the theatrical premiere with a touch of sadness, since they assume that it is also the end of the story of Middle-earth on the big screen. Ian McKellen, however, doesn't think so. The next "Silmarillion"?.

The British actor, who plays the wizard Gandalf, told the BBC at last night's premiere in London that Jackson told him after the end of filming "The Return of the King" that he was leaving Tolkien's world. We all know how it all ended - with the filming of the Hobbit trilogy.

"Peter told me in 2001 that it was the end. Here we are 13 years later. That's why I believe that this does not mean the end of our journey," said McKellen.

Although the British actor may have been speculating, McKellen is correct in mentioning the fact that Jackson has already returned once and spent nearly a decade devising and adapting the script and providing the necessary infrastructure for The Hobbit.

True fans of Tolkien's literary works know that there is one more book left untold.

"The Silmarillion" is a kind of collected history of the people of Middle-earth before the events of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings".