‘The Hobbit’ writer, director and producer Peter Jackson has officially announced on Facebook that he’ll make a third film in his adventure fantasy series, The Film Stage is reporting. The filmmaker made the decision after viewing a cut of the first film and a majority of its follow-up. Jackson will based the second sequel on appendices and additional material by the novel’s author, J.R.R. Tolkien. There’s no word yet on how much more production will be needed.

In his Facebook post, Jackson wrote that the richness of ‘The Hobbit’s story and the appendices allows him to tell the full story of Bilbo Baggins. “On behalf of New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. Pictures, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Wingnut Films and the entire cast and crew of ‘The Hobbit’ films, I’d like to announce that two films will become three,’ the director also wrote.

The first ‘Hobbit’ film, ‘An Unexpected Journey,’ will hit theaters on December 14. The second, ‘There and Back Again,’ will be released on December 13, 2013.

Written by: Karen Benardello