The first edition of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit was only 310 pages when it was originally published in 1937.
That’s more than enough material for a good story, but probably not enough for three feature length films. Director Peter Jackson gamely tried his best to expand a single Hobbit book into a trilogy from 2012 to 2014, but he couldn’t quite recreate the magic of his Lord of the Rings movies. Now, former That ’70s Show star Topher Grace has revealed that he cut down Jackson’s Hobbit experiment into a single two-hour movie.
Grace told IndieWire that he undertook the ambitious fan edit project in part to unwind from his newest role in Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman. Grace indicated that he felt stressed from having to portray white supremacist David Duke, and diving into Tolkien’s cinematic world was something of a version of therapy. (He also shared his belief that The Hobbit shouldn’t have been so greatly expanded upon for the big screen in the first place—he goes into detail over at IndieWire if you care to hear some of his thoughts on the matter.)
Considering that The Hobbit trilogy runs for several hours with the extended editions, it’s safe to assume that a lot of the added subplots probably didn’t make Grace’s cut. Fans may remember that Grace has also turned the Star Wars prequels into a single film, as originally shared by Entertainment Weekly. Though we’re unlikely to see his handiwork, we have to admire Grace’s dedication to finishing that project.
Would you like to see Grace’s cut of The Hobbit? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!
Images: Warner Bros. Pictures/New Line