We feared this may happen. Earlier in the week, Peter Jackson revealed that he plans to be done with the script for the second of the two Hobbit movies by the start of 2010, which, in theory, should have left the coast clear for a release at the end of 2011.

However, he also noted that the shoot was likely to be pushed back to the summer of 2010, and also that a formal studio greenlight - presumably from the co-funders MGM and Warner Bros - had not yet been forthcoming. You can read our report on that here.

Had The Hobbit started its year-long shoot in the middle of 2010, that would have left things quite tight for a Christmas 2011 release, though, and as such, it's now being reported that we might have to wait an extra year for the first Hobbit movie.

Over at The Wrap, it's running a report that quotes a Warner Bros executive as saying, "While it is still possible that it could come out in December 2011, it looks more likely to be 2012." Were Part I to move to 2012, then inevitably Part II would also go back to 2013.

Bah.

The Wrap