While there has been intermittent chatter about a possible trilogy during most of the time that Peter Jackson has been shooting the Hobbit films, things began to really heat up during thanks to the director's comments at Comic-Con this year. Now it appears that plans are moving even closer to reality.

"That's a discussion we're having, yeah," Jackson told Hitfix in San Diego a couple of weeks ago. "We have certainly been talking to the studio about some of the material we can't film, and we've been asking them so we can do a bit more filming next year. Which, I don't know what would come of that, whether it'd be extended editions or whatnot. But those discussions are ongoing."

From the sounds of a report in the LA Times, those discussions are close to reaching an agreement. While the story is full of the usual “people familiar with the situation” stuff, Jackson seems to be close to figuring out what can be done to extend the story into three instalments, beyond the current two films – An Unexpected Journey and There And Back Again.

That would likely include deciding whether to schedule time to shoot more footage or reconfiguring what he has already. There is at least a rich vein of source material... “I'd like to shoot a bunch more material that we couldn't shoot,” he told Hitfix. “There's so much good stuff in the appendices that we haven't been able to squeeze into these movies.”

But it’s not quite as simple as all that, as new deals would have to be negotiated with the cast and the rights holders for the material. Those discussions have apparently already started.

So while nothing is locked down just yet, we figure there could be an announcement soon enough - and any way you look at it, the mere fact that there is a discussion suggests a hearty confidence in the quality of what they have so far. Anyone want to start guessing at titles for a third Hobbit film? Even if it is only wish-fulfilment?

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will arrive in cinemas on December 14. The Hobbit: There And Back Again will follow on December 13, 2013.