‘Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Extended Edition’ release date and pricing announced

The long rumored and highly anticipated US release of an extended cut of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey has finally been officially announced, and with it a quote from Peter Jackson:

I’m thrilled that the Extended Edition will give fans the opportunity to experience certain key scenes in the film as they were originally shot, as well as an abundance of special features. It’s exciting to present this expanded and enriched version of An Unexpected Journey to allow fans to fully immerse themselves in the movie, before seeing the second part of the trilogy.

While fans already consider The extended cuts of the first trilogy the definitive versions of each film, it goes without saying that many were simply holding out on buying the Hobbit until that same “definitive” version was released as well, and I for one was in that boat.

According to Warner Bros., the discs will contain:

nearly nine hours of new bonus features

While aside from some rumors of a few making of featurettes its been fairly tight lipped on what exactly is included in those staggering 9 hours worth of content.

The full set at $54.98 for  Blu-Ray 3D, $35.99 for standard Blu-ray,and $34.99 for DVD and digital copy, but each of these can be ordered through Amazon.com for a heavily discounted price.

It has also been revealed that the Digital Download version will be available on October 22nd and the retail disc versions on November 5th of this year.