This December, with the release of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, fans will finally say goodbye to the Middle-earth director Peter Jackson has spent almost two decades bringing to life on screen. (Unless we hear of plans for an adaptation of The Silmarillion in the future, but don't count on it.)
For a musical sendoff to the series, Lord of the Rings actor Billy Boyd has returned to record a new song for the final Hobbit film - fittingly titled "The Last Goodbye." You can watch the music video above, which in addition to Boyd's hauntingly beautiful song contains a montage of stunning vistas, memorable moments from throughout the Lords of the Rings trilogy and the new Hobbit films, as well as some tender and funny behind the scenes footage of the cast. We'll wait as you wipe those tears from your eyes.
Fans will remember the song Boyd sang in character during The Return of the King called "The Edge of Night," which for its lyrics pulled from a poem by Tolkien titled "A Walking Song." That somber tune became so memorable it's already been used in an earlier trailer for The Battle of the Five Armies, and bringing Boyd in to collaborate on another song is a nice touch tying these two final acts together.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly via email, Boyd discussed how he, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens came up with idea for "The Last Goodbye":
“After seeing the film, I went to my room and I started to put down some ideas, and along with Fran and Philippa, we started to sculpt the song we thought the movie needed. A lot of ideas took us to dead ends or we found the tone wasn’t just right. I think we discovered very quickly this wasn’t just a song to end 'The Battle of the Five Armies' —it was a song to say goodbye to Middle-earth.”
"The Last Goodbye" will play over the credits of The Battle of the Five Armies, and with any luck, there won't be a dry eye in the house. But before it brings the tears, The Battle of the Five Armies promises to be chock-full of action, with its climactic battle reportedly clocking in at around 45 minutes.
In the midst of this truly epic battle are the Dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage), and we've got a new behind the scenes image (via Empire Magazine) of Thorin getting a piece of that action. Check it out below:
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Will you be sad to say goodbye to Peter Jackson's cinematic Middle Earth this December? Tell us what you'll miss most in the comments below!
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies opens in U.S. theaters on December 17th, 2014.
Source: Empire