The wait is finally over. Since filming for the first of the two Hobbit movies started here in March, Middle Earth fans have waited impatiently for a glimpse on Sir Peter Jackson's adaption of JRR Tolkien's novel.



Today Warner Bros premiered the first trailer of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey setting the stage for Bilbo Baggins epic quest.



The Hobbit films are set in Middle-earth 60 years before The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The adventure follows the journey of hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), who is swept into the quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug.



Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey (Ian McKellen), Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage).



Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers...



Beside McKellen, also reprising their roles from The Lord of the Rings movies are: Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo; Christopher Lee as Saruman; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Elijah Wood as Frodo; Orlando Bloom as Legolas; and Andy Serkis as Gollum.



Richard Taylor's team at Weta Workshop is looking after the design and production of weaponry, armour and prosthetics and Weta Digital take on the visual effects for both film.



The journey to start filming the Hobbit wasn't a smooth one for Jackson since he first presented the idea to adapt it back in 1997.



From 2005 to 2007, Jackson and New Line Cinemas were involved in a legal battle that relegated Jackson to executive producer and saw director Guillermo del Toro to come onboard to helm the films in 2008. But in May 2010 del Toro pulled out and when Jackson was finally confirmed as director in October 2010, a union dispute threatened to relocate filming out of New Zealand.



The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will premier on December 13, 2012 in Wellington and the second film, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, is set to be released on December 12, 2013.



What do you think about the trailer?