Peter Jackson's "The Hobbit" to become a trilogy?

     Please don't let this be true.
     Awhile back at this year's Comic Con rumors began to spread that Peter Jackson had filmed so much material for his upcoming Hobbit film that he was seriously considering turning it into a trilogy.  At the time I thought that's all they were: rumors.  After all The Hobbit novel is only about 350 pages long so I didn't see the need to split it into three films.  In any event The Fellowship of the Ring is over 500 pages long and Jackson managed to cover that book in just one movie.
     Well apparently things are more serious than I thought.  According to "THR" sources close to the production report that Jackson wants to turn the series into a trilogy and is working hard to negotiate a third film even as I write.  Along with producers Fran Walsh and Phillippa Boyens, the three are exploring the possible logistics of releasing a third film.  The problem is that there has to be financial backing and new contracts have to be agreed upon by the rather large cast.  This says to me that Jackson wants to film even more and that the third film in this possible trilogy would serve as a "bridge" to The Lord of the Rings movies.
     This may surprise you, considering how much I love The Lord of the Rings movies, but I cry greed on this one.  To me this appears as nothing more than a quick cash grab masquerading as a desire to bring the fans more of Middle Earth.  It makes me sick.  There's no reason to make this a trilogy.  In fact I saw little reason to make The Hobbit into a duology considering the book's length.  To be fair this is par for the course in Hollywood lately as Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was split into two parts, as was Breaking Dawn, and reports state that the final Hunger Games movie, Mockingjay, will be made into two parts.  I absolutely despise this garbage.  Don't try to sell me on the "there are so many plot points we want to please the fans and have to make two movies" argument.  As Sheldon Cooper from the "The Big Bang Theory" might say, "that's hokum."  It's about straight cash homie.  Don't let anyone tell you different.
     The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey releases this December.