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Events on Wednesday 17 December 2014 2
2012 – 2014The Hobbit trilogy -- return to Middle-earthPeter Jackson returns to Middle-earth with a three-film adaptation of The Hobbit (2012-2014): An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Five Armies. The production is troubled: Guillermo del Toro was originally set to direct but withdrew after two years of pre-production delays caused by MGM's bankruptcy. The Hobbit trilogy is shot at 48 frames per second (double the standard 24fps) -- a controversial choice that many viewers find disconcerting. The three films gross $2.93 billion combined but are generally considered inferior to the LOTR trilogy, suffering from bloated running times and excessive CGI.
2014United States and Cuba announce restoration of relationsObama and Castro end decades of Cold War-era estrangementUS President Barack Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro simultaneously announced that their countries would move to normalize diplomatic relations after more than five decades of hostility. The announcement followed a prisoner exchange and secret negotiations brokered partly by the Vatican. It led to the reopening of embassies in Washington and Havana the following year.