The Dark Knight Rises may not have managed to usurp Marvel's The Avengers for the highest-grossing film of 2012, but if there's one film that could challenge the box office dominance of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, then it's surely the first instalment of Peter Jackson's three-part adaptation of The Hobbit, which has received its second theatrical trailer today. Due to arrive in cinemas this December, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey sees Martin Freeman's (The Office) Bilbo Baggins joining up with Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen) and the Company of Dwarves to embark on the first steps towards the Lonely Mountain, where they plan to steal the treasure of the mighty dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch; Sherlock).
The hotly-anticipated three-part adaptation sees Jackson reuniting with several Middle-Earth veterans, including Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo, Christopher Lee as Saruman, Hugo Weaving as Elrond, Elijah Wood as Frodo, Orlando Bloom as Legolas and Andy Serkis as Gollum. Joining the returning cast members from The Lord of the Rings trilogy are a host of names, including Richard Armitage, Luke Evans, James Nesbitt, Evangeline Lilly, Stephen Fry and Sylvester McCoy.
Anyway, enough from me; feast your eyes on the new trailer...
UPDATE: You can view additional scenes, as well as creating and uploading your own version of the trailer, over at The Hobbit's official website.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey hits cinemas on December 14th, while The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is released on December 13th, 2013 and The Hobbit: There and Back Again concludes the saga on July 18th, 2014.
