Martin Freeman talks about The Hobbit becoming three films

The brand new issue of Total Film magazine is out today, and Martin Freeman’s Bilbo Baggins is our cover star as we head to the New Zealand set of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey .

Inside the issue, we chat to Freeman, Peter Jackson, Andy Serkis, Ian McKellen and more about the epic Lord Of The Rings prequel.

You can read the full feature inside issue 201 (available for only £1.99 on your iPad , or save 50% on the cover price by subscribing to the magazine with our winter 2012 offer ), but we’ve got a sneaky excerpt from Martin Freeman right here.

Despite the fact he’s fronting the one of the biggest films of 2012 (and 2013, and 2014) Freeman told us a while back that he’s not feeling the pressure of playing the hero in such a hotly anticipated film. (“I really don’t… other than the normal pressure I feel when I’m doing a play, or film.”)

Months later, with the hype engine pounding, he feels the same. Even now there are three films? “It’s not really daunting,” he reaffirmed. “It is unexpected compared to where we were, but it’s the same thing of telling the story and doing your bit, whether it’s one or two or three films. There’s just, you know, more of it!

“But there are so many of us involved, it doesn’t really hang on anyone’s shoulders.”

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens in the UK on 13 December 2012.

For much more on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey , grab yourself a copy of Total Film magazine issue 201 - out now!

And don’t forget, the issue is available as our incredible interactive iPad edition for just £1.99 .

Enter our competition to win tickets to the Royal Premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (closes 7 December 2012)

The Total Film team are made up of the finest minds in all of film journalism. They are: Editor Jane Crowther, Deputy Editor Matt Maytum, Reviews Ed Matthew Leyland, News Editor Jordan Farley, and Online Editor Emily Murray. Expect exclusive news, reviews, features, and more from the team behind the smarter movie magazine.