It’s going to be hard to wait two years for The Hobbit

Peter Jackson’s cinematic trilogy, The Lord of the Rings, is a masterpiece. Particularly the extended editions, it’s hard to imagine movies that are better than his interpretations of those wonderful novels.

Jackson got nearly everything right. I’d quibble about the appearance and behavior of the Ents, the selfish personality of Elrond and the miserable depiction of Denethor, who seemed totally unfit to be Steward of Gondor. Everything else was just about perfect.

What’s been missing, of course, is J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. More whimsical than the Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit is more magical. It’s the right fantasy book to start a young person with, before moving to the more complex, slower-paced and darker Lord of the Rings trilogy.

I’m delighted that Peter Jackson overcame the rights issues and profit-sharing arguments with MGM that stood in the way of his making The Hobbit. It’s equally delightful that Sir Ian McKellen will be back as Gandalf.

But to wait until 2010 for The Hobbit — now, that’s torment!

My feelings are more mixed about Jackson’s plan to create an original movie, set in the 60 years between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. This as-yet-unnamed film is set to come out in 2011. Let’s hope Jackson doesn’t blow it!