Well, it screened recently at AICN's "Butt-Numb-A-Thon" — an annual 72 hour non-stop screening of genre-minded films, plus some early sneak peeks from the new year — and it was rumored to appear this weekend in front of Warner Bros' "Sherlock Holmes: Game Of Shadows," and that's likely the case, as here it is: the first teaser trailer for Peter Jackson's long-time-coming "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" has finally arrived (almost an ironically fitting title since Guillermo del Toro was originally supposed to direct the film).
And yes, it's a Peter Jackson "Lord Of The Rings" film through and through, to the extent that it feels awfully familiar. Is Jackson trying to bring something new to these films or are they just a "the further adventures of…" story, only this time it's a prequel. It's hard to say. Those who loved the originals will feel very at home, but if you're hoping for something more, this looks and feels like DVD extras off the 'LOTR' trilogy. It makes us yearn for Guillermo del Toro's what-if version. Still, December 2012 is a year away. Plenty of time to try and dazzle any naysayers.
Starring Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Luke Evans, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Hugo Weaving, the voice of Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Armitage, Andy Serkis, Evangeline Lilly, Stephen Fry, James Nesbitt, Lee Pace, Christopher Lee, Aidan Turner, Mikael Persbrandt and many many more, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" lands in theaters on December 14, 2012. A new poster below as well. Watch the HD version at Apple.
