Trailer for Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey released

Martin Freeman, plays the main character Bilbo Baggins, in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Credit: Warner Bros

A new trailer for the first of Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson's highly anticipated The Hobbit series has been released.

Jackson is bringing J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece to the big screen in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which will be released in December.

The three films will tell a continuous story set in Middle-earth 60 years before The Lord of the Rings.

The adventure follows the journey of main character Bilbo Baggins, who is embarks on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug.

Martin Freeman - best known for playing Tim in The Office - takes on the role of Bilbo.

The film also sees the return of many LOTR characters, including Gandalf the Grey, played by Sir Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel, Elijah Wood as Frodo and Andy Serkis as Gollum.