When The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey started to unfurl on screens across the world in 2012, it greeted fans with the familiar faces of Ian Holm and Elijah Wood as Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. After an entire trilogy with the Baggins family, opening the new chapter of the story is pretty much the best way you can introduce the continuation of the Lord Of The Rings saga's prequel to fans not so familiar with the books. Much like Billy Boyd's involvement with The Hobbit: The Battle Of Five Armies is the perfect way to bookend the series.
Hypable reported that Boyd, known as Pippin in the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, would be singing the latest and final end credit track in the series, entitled "The Last Goodbye." To add some extra coincidental humor to the mix is the fact that the first trailer for The Hobbit: The Battle Of the Five Armies actually featured Billy Boyd's performance of "The Edge Of Night" from The Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King. That trailer is included below, if only to showcase the beautiful singing voice Boyd has.
Right in that trailer, "The Edge Of Night" is used as this brilliant, emotional short hand to signal that an age is coming to an end. Much like the previous age that ended, Billy Boyd is our musical shepherd, ready to bring us to the edge of the franchise and send us off in proper fashion. This inclusion is one of the better, more subtle references to the blockbuster franchise that The Lord Of The Rings, as it doesn't beat you over the head with its presence in an era that clearly precedes it. (At least, as far as production chronology goes.)
The Hobbit: The Battle Of the Five Armies will complete the full The Hobbit: There And Back Again trilogy, and if the trailer is any indication, it will be epic in both scope and emotional weight. Having Billy Boyd sing the closing credit song is something that helps sell that point very well, and also reminds us that yes, this will be the last JRR Tolkien adaptation we'll be seeing on the big screen. Unless, of course, the Tolkien estate decides they like money again, and decides to launch a campaign to make The Silmarilion into a full-length miniseries.
However likely that may seem, we can at least look forward to The Hobbit: The Battle Of the Five Armies, which will be released in 3D, HFR 3D, IMAX 3D, and conventional formats on December 17.
