The Hobbit will get DVD extended editions

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Back when The Lord Of The Rings films were being released in cinemas each Christmas, an extra frisson of excitement was always reserved for the unveiling of a new extended edition on DVD.

That festive treat is set to re-emerge once again with The Hobbit , with Warner Bros confirming that An Unexpected Journey will be released in its extended form on DVD towards the end of 2013.

Given that The Hobbit has already been stretched from two films to three, it remains to be seen just how much footage will be restored, although we can’t pretend we’re not excited by the added value to the home video release.

The extended editions of the LOTR series were always groaning with behind the scenes material, and of all the DVD special features we’ve seen, the Appendices remain right up there as the most interesting and involving.

If Peter Jackson can repeat the trick, that’s our Christmas present sorted for the next three years. Meanwhile, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens in UK cinemas on 14 December 2012.

George Wales

George was once GamesRadar's resident movie news person, based out of London. He understands that all men must die, but he'd rather not think about it. But now he's working at Stylist Magazine.