They're back again! Lord of the Rings favourites reunited in first trailer for Hobbit prequel
By MIKE LARKIN
Last updated at 3:32 PM on 21st December 2011
The Lord of the Rings was one of the most successful film series in history.
And if the long-awaited teaser trailer of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is anything to go by, Peter Jackson's return to Middle Earth should be successful both critically and commercially.
It starts with Ian Holm as the old hobbit Bilbo writing a letter to his young nephew Frodo, one of the heroes of the series.
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Old favourites: Some of the most important characters from The Lord of the Rings feature in the trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
He says: 'My dear Frodo, you asked me once if I had told you everything there was to know about my adventures.
'While I can honestly say I have told you the truth, I may not have told you all of it.'
It then cuts to a young Bilbo, played by The Office star Martin Freeman, who is approached by Sir Ian McKellan's Gandalf and invited on an adventure.
Old Bilbo: Ian Holm reprises his role as the aging hobbit and narrates the story in the form of a letter to Frodo
Young man: Martin Freeman's turn as Bilbo will allow him to use the comic timing he developed in The Office
Off he goes: It is not long before Bilbo will be bidding farewell to his home in the Shire
But he is rebuffed by the home loving halfling, who tells him he is too attached to the Shire to comtemplate such a journey.
He says: 'I can't just go running off into the blue, I am a Baggins of Bag-End.'
However the wise wizard has soon introduced him to his 13 new dwarf companions, with the magician's rationale being that the plucky little fellow will make an ideal burglar.
Old chums: The wise wizard Gandalf meets an old friend when the team visit the legendary citadel of Rivendell
She's looking very elfy: Cate Blanchett is one of the stars reprising their roles and appears as Galadriel
The B team: The 13 dwarves would be no match for the Fellowship of the Ring from the later story
Stunning: The New Zealand countryside brings the mythical world of Middle Earth to life
And as the group sings a sad song, there are flashes that show the adventures ahead, with brief tantalising shots of Cate Blanchett as the Elf queen Galadriel and the powerful citadel of Rivendell.
But perhaps the most exciting part is the ending, where you see the powerful One Ring that is the focus of the previous trilogy.
You also hear Gollum speaking to Bilbo, saying: 'Baggines, what is a Bagginses? Precious.'
The trailer is the latest in a drip drip feed of material showing fans what they can expect when the big budget films are finally released.
Earlier this year the first stills were releasesed of Martin Freeman as the story's hero Bilbo Baggins.
What's up here? Bilbo will get to see the Elendil's legendary shattered sword Narsil as he looks around Rivendell
Precious cameo: Bilbo will have to use all of his cunning if he wants to escape meeting Gollum alive
Powerful magician: Even Paul Daniels and David Copperfield would think twice before going on a Gandalf style adventure
First look: Here we see Martin Freeman take on the role of Bilbo Baggins
It is ramping up the anticipation ahead of the release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in 2012.
The film follows home-loving hobbit Bilbo, who is guided by the wizard Gandalf and a company of 13 dwarves on a dangerous adventure that sees him become an unlikely hero.
English acting legend Sir Ian McKellen is reprising the iconic role of Gandalf, and has been seen in his full wizard regalia and flowing grey beard.
Like the Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit is filmed in New Zealand under the expert eye of director Peter Jackson.
The title role of the J.R.R. Tolkien tale is played by Martin Freeman, who has previously starred in Hot Fuzz, Love Actually and the original British version of The Office.
Smokin': Sir Ian McKellan looks the part as Gandalf the Grey in the upcoming Hobbit movie
The unlikely hero is visited by Gandalf the Grey who tricks him into hosting a party for Thorin and his band of 12 dwarves, who sing of reclaiming Lonely Mountain and their treasure from the dragon, Smaug.
Bilbo is persuaded to join them on their quest as the expedition's burglar when Gandalf unveils a map showing a secret door into the mountain.
Many characters will return from Lord of the Rings including Gollum, Frodo, Elrond, Galadriel, and Legolas.
Jackson said: 'In the space of ten years, that look he [McKellen] created - the beard, the wig, the voice, the costume - has become iconic,'
'So what's weird for me on The Hobbit is that I'll be sitting on the set talking to Ian and - if I look away at the crew and look back - I don't see Ian McKellen, I see Gandalf beside me.'
Tolkien's first foray into Middle Earth has been split into two films, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again, and the cast and crew endured a mammoth 254 day shoot to recreate the thousand-plus pages.
Jackson said: 'You just get in that state of tiredness and stay there, but that's OK. The movie keeps you going.
'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.
Marathon shoot: Jackson and his cast and crew will spend 254 days filming the two Hobbit films back-to-back Down Under
Lilly's ex-boyfriend Dominic Monaghan appeared in the Lord of the Rings trilogy as hobbit Merry Brandbuck.
Other photos taken on set show the newly-slimmed down Jackson posing in Bilbo's home, Bag End.
Jackson said: 'We did keep the original Bag End, but in the intervening ten years we've turned it into a guest house so people can actually live and sleep in Bag End.'
'It's up on a farm that we've got so it wasn't really possible to drag it back in the studio.'
Jackson revealed that Martin Freeman has slipped easily into the Hobbit feet of his predecessor, Ian Holm.
He said: 'He fits the ears, and he's got some very nice feet. I think he's got the biggest Hobbit feet we've got so far.'
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