'The Hobbit' wraps filming

Peter Jackson just made it Facebook official. After 266 days of shooting, the director of the two upcoming Hobbit films announced the end of principal photography with a photo on his Facebook.

"Thanks to our fantastic cast and crew for getting us this far, and to all of you for your support!" Jackson wrote. "Next stop, the cutting room. Oh, and Comic Con!"

We interviewed Jackson, along with Martin Freeman (Bilbo Baggins) and Ian McKellen (Gandalf), for this week's cover story about the upcoming movies, which expand the world of the original 1937 book by drawing from the lore of author J.R.R. Tolkien's other works.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey arrives in theaters Dec. 14. The second film, The Hobbit: There and Back Again is slated for a Dec. 13 release in 2013. It has been nearly a decade since the last of the Jackson-directed Lord of the Rings trilogy films, The Return of the King, was released.

Read more on EW.com:

Evangeline Lilly discusses learning elvish, breastfeeding on the set of 'The Hobbit'

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