Topher Grace recut Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit trilogy into a two hour movie

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Splitting J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" into three separate films always seemed like a bad idea, especially as the novel itself is significantly shorter than all of the books in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, but that's exactly what we ended up with. Topher Grace, who plays Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke in Spike Lee's BLACKKKLANSMAN, certainly thinks along the same lines as he recently revealed to IndieWire that he had taken it upon himself to re-cut Peter Jackson's massive HOBBIT trilogy into a single two-hour film.

If you recall, this isn't the first time that Topher Grace has undertaken a massive editing project like this, as he previously whittled down George Lucas' STAR WARS prequel trilogy to a lean 85 minutes. As for why the actor felt like tackling THE HOBBIT trilogy, he told IW that the editing project helped him decompress after playing the KKK leader for so many weeks. "I was so depressed," Grace said, mentioning that his wife had given birth to their daughter during the production. "I was probably a terrible husband at the time. It was so disturbing to go home and turn on the news to see how his ideology was affecting us at the moment." Grace then turned his attentions to THE HOBBIT and managed to transform the 462 minute long trilogy (532 minutes if you go by the extended editions) into a two-hour film which he feels is "a lot tighter."

I think that maybe ‘The Hobbit’ should’ve been one movie, and many people would agree. Money drives a lot of those franchises. It’s better when the art leads.

Despite the undertaking, Topher Grace doesn't want to jump to editing professionally, instead he compares the exercise to doing woodwork in his garage. "I don’t know what other guys do. Go fishing? For me, this is just a great way to relax," the actor said. "There’s something really zen about it." I'm with you there, Topher. Even with all the intensity which comes from obsessing over single frames of film for weeks on end, I've always found editing to be an incredibly relaxing experience. No word on if Topher Grace's HOBBIT re-edit will have any secret screenings like his re-cut STAR WARS flick did back in 2012, but it would be something to see.

The official synopsis for BLACKKKLANSMAN:

From visionary filmmaker Spike Lee comes the incredible true story of an American hero. It’s the early 1970s, and Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) is the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. Determined to make a name for himself, Stallworth bravely sets out on a dangerous mission: infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan. The young detective soon recruits a more seasoned colleague, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), into the undercover investigation of a lifetime. Together, they team up to take down the extremist hate group as the organization aims to sanitize its violent rhetoric to appeal to the mainstream. 

BLACKKKLANSMAN will hit theaters on August 10, 2018.