The first leg of Peter Jackson's Hobbit journey is coming to a close.
The Oscar-winning director posted his final video blog chronicling the making of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first installment in his buzzed-about trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's beloved book, on Saturday.
And it sounds like things were down to the wire for this one.
In it, the 51-year-old director—sitting in a theater at a postproduction facility in Wellington, New Zealand—reveals that he'll officially finish putting the final touches on the film 48 hours before it's scheduled to have its world premiere on Nov. 28.
"It's due to be completed literally two days before the premiere," he says, before adding ominously with a chuckle, "Hopefully."
He then takes fans on a behind-the-scenes tour of the facilities with the postproduction team, who seem to be yawning and stretching and huffing their way through the final stretch.
"You're gonna see a lot of sleep-deprived people in this blog," he quips. "Everyone's working around the clock to get the film finished."
Indeed, expectations are running high for Jackson, whose Lord of the Rings trilogy collectively snagged 17 Oscars, including a record-tying 11 wins for its last installment, The Return of the King.
The first outing for his new Hobbit trilogy, An Unexpected Journey, hits theaters on Dec. 14, followed by The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug on Dec. 13, 2013, and The Hobbit: There and Back Again on July 18, 2014.