First trailer for Peter Jackson's The Hobbit available online

The wait is over for J.R.R. Tolkien fans. The first trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, is now available online and gives a sneak peek into the adventure led by Bilbo and his many companions.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is due for a December 2012 release but now there's a two-minute trailer to whet the appetite of Lord of the Rings lovers. Available since Tuesday night, the trailer introduces us to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins and reveals who will accompany him on a dangerous journey. Bilbo (Martin Freeman, known for The Office) is approached by the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and invited to go on a mission, one that will be split into two films. The Hobbit: There and Back Again will be released in 2013. Peter Jackson, the director responsible for the Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy, is back at the helm for thes two prequels. He told journalists, "We're working with much of the same crew as Lord of the Rings and obviously some of the actors like Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, and Andy Serkis are back so it's like a reunion. "Plus we've got all the new boys. Along with Freeman, new stars include Barry Humphries, a.k.a. Dame Edna as the Goblin King, and Evangeline Lilly as beautiful elf Tauriel." Like the previous films, all of The Hobbit movies were shot in New Zealand. As of publication, at least one YouTube version of the trailer has gone wildly viral, attracting more than 1 million views in under 24 hours.