Official Trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey released

It's been ten years since the Lord of the Rings trilogy hit the big screen. On December 14, 2012, the long awaited prequel to the series, "The Hobbit", will hit theaters. The official trailer for "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" was recently released.

The film, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's book will be split into two films, the second film being released in late 2013. Many actors from the Lord of the Rings trilogy are reprising their roles in The Hobbit, including Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Elijah Wood as Frodo, Andy Serkis as Gollum, Hugo Weaving as Elrond, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Christopher Lee as Saruman, Ian Holm as Bilbo Baggins in his later years, and Orlando Bloom as Legolas. Peter Jackson returns as Director and Howard Shore once again composes the music for the films. Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman, is approached by Gandalf the Grey to accompany a party of dwarves who are setting out on a journey to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the dragon Smaug. Along the way, Baggins comes across Gollum and his 'precious'. The Hobbit, a video game, is set to release sometime before the film debut's next December, although there has been no word as to whether or not it will tie into the film. The Hobbit has seen many delays and setbacks in it's production. Guillermo del Toro was set to direct the film but left the film in 2010 after ongoing delays due to MGM's financial problems. Peter Jackson stepped in to direct later that year. Due to a Do Not Work order issued by the International Federation of Actors, the film was again delayed. New Line Cinema and Warner Bros considered pulling the filming from New Zealand, but later worked out a deal with the New Zealand government.