Two new images have been released for Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey showing Andy Serkis as Gollum both behind-the-scenes in his motion-capture gear and in CGI animated form as he appears on-screen.

The prequels to J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy begins with The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first of what is currently two films, with the second being The Hobbit: There and Back Again which is released on December 13, 2013. However recent reports suggest that there may be a third film to create a trilogy with a likely 2014 release.

Peter Jackson originally teased the idea of a third film at the San Diego Comic-Con on July 14, telling fans that he wants to shoot more footage. Sources are now saying that studio Warner Bros, Jackson, producer Fran Walsh and writer-producer Philippa Boyens have begun to explore the logistics of what it would take to make another film; with the studio on board if the right financial arrangements can be achieved, new contracts secured for the cast, and if certain rights associated with the property (The Hobbit rights were notoriously difficult to obtain) can be obtained.

“If we’re going to do it, we have to make a decision soon,” says a source close to the production.

Adding: “It’s strongly driven by the filmmakers’ desire to tell more of the story.”

“It’s about taking the chance to tell more of the incredible tale with the cast we have assembled,” says a source.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is released on December 14, 2012.

Source: E!