All right, today’s post is brief but we do have a little bit of Hobbit news for you…

Amazon France and Amazon Germany have both begun taking pre-orders for the Blu-ray 3D Combo, Blu-ray Combo and DVD release of Warner’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.  This is the theatrical cut.  Amazon France lists a street date of 4/17.  So it seems likely that the U.S. release will A) happen around this same time frame and B) be officially announced very soon, perhaps in the next week or two if not sooner.  Our industry sources still suggest that an Extended Cut version of the film is very possible later this year, but not yet 100% certain.  If it does happen, expect the Extended Cut release of An Unexpected Journey sometime in October or November, as part of the build-up to the theatrical release of The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug on 12/13.  We’ll post more official information as soon as it comes in. In the meantime, here’s a look at the German cover artwork for the Blu-ray 3D Combo and DVD versions…

Back tomorrow with a new Blu-ray review and more news.  Stay tuned!

- Bill Hunt