First Trailer and Poster for The Hobbit Released Online
Posted 12.20.11 by Ryan
It's been 10 years and one day since The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings, the first installment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy was released, and now the first trailer for the prequel of The Hobbit has debuted online.
Shot in two-parts — The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be released in December, followed by The Hobbit: There and Back Again in 2013 — the prequel sees Martin Freeman assume the role of Bilbo Baggins (played by Ian Holm in The Lord of the Rings, who appears briefly in the trailer) and joins the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and a company of dwarves on an epic quest that will take him to a dragon's lair and put him in charge of a precious ring. While production has yet to wrap on the movies, Freeman said he felt "no pressure" in playing the role of Bilbo, adding that "so far, what we've done has been more comic than heavy. I keep asking [director and co-writer] Peter [Jackson], 'When are we going heavy?' He assures me it's coming."
While most of the trailer is interested in introducing the wide array of characters, by the end, it looks like Bilbo has entered the "heavy" part of shooting, as it reveals the hobbit's first introduction to the ring's owner.
The Hobbit was adapted by Jackson, Fran Walsh, Guillermo del Toro, and Philippa Boyens from J.R.R. Tolkien's original novel and will see plenty of familiar faces from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Returning cast members include Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins; Orlando Bloom as Legolas; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Andy Serkis (in motion-capture and later animated) as Gollum; and Sir Christopher Lee as Saruman. The dwarf cast includes Richard Armitage as Thorin, Ken Stott as Balin, Graham McTavish as Dwalin, Stephen Hunter as Bombur, James Nesbitt as Bofur, William Kircher as Bifur, Jed Brophy as Nori, Adam Brown as Ori, Mark Hadlow as Dori, John Callen as Oin, Peter Hambleton as Gloin, Aidan Turner as Kili, and Dean O'Gorman as Fili.
Next Showing: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens Dec. 14, 2012