[quote="Durin":2tyali58]Well you never know, Del Toro and Jackson may have big plans for this movie, after all, it is two parts, and perhaps they shall make other movies that tie into this in the future?[/quote:2tyali58]
I think it is quite clear that they have big plans: they are effectively making "LOTR: The Prequel" and are giving us a much broader look at the politics and history of Middle-earth during the time of The Hobbit. This could be cool on some level. However, it is not what The Hobbit is about. The Hobbit is not a prequel to LOTR in the way that Jackson and del Toro seem to be treating it.
[quote:2tyali58]they may just want to introduce more Tolkien lore! Nothing wrong with that!

[/quote:2tyali58]
Fair enough, except that the White Council is mentioned so briefly by Tolkien that it's the screenwriters are going to do more fanfiction-esque 'fleshing out' than actual adapting. We'll see a lot of Jackson lore, sure, but the White Council will be necessity be relatively light on Tolkien lore.
[quote:2tyali58]I 'unno, [b:2tyali58]Eldorion[/b:2tyali58], a lot of my friends are hoping for a very [u:2tyali58]true to the book[/u:2tyali58] and, in my opinion, somewhat bland movie. I do not fear expansions as I do changes.[/quote:2tyali58]
I'm not sure why a well-made movie of The Hobbit that conserved its dramatic power to the simple yet effective storyline of Bilbo would be bland. The story of Bilbo has stood the test of time for over 70 years, and even if the filmmakers refrained from adding extraneous storylines its not like there would be no room for creativity. Changes and decisions about adaptation would still have to be made, the visual process of bringing Middle-earth to the screen would still be necessary, and the filmmakers would - undoubtedly - put their own touch on everything.