Jackson's Hobbit movies to tell one tale

The next Middle Earth saga, The Hobbit, will be one continuous movie split into two parts, its Oscar-winning writer Peter Jackson has confirmed.

The highly-anticipated Lord of the Rings double-movie prequel originally had The Hobbit story in just the first film. A second film was to be based on author JRR Tolkien's other writings to create a direct link to the hit trilogy.

But Jackson said it would take longer to tell the tale of little Bilbo Baggins than first thought.

"We decided it would be a mistake to try to cram everything into one movie," he hold British film magazine Empire.

"The essential brief was to do The Hobbit, and it allows us to make The Hobbit in a little more style, if you like, of the (Lord of the Rings) trilogy."

Jackson, who is also the films' executive producer, will be writing it with his Lord of the Rings trilogy partners, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, and Hobbit director Guillermo Del Toro.

The films are to be shot in Wellington next year.

- AAP