“I’m going on an adventure!” In the wee hours of this morning a new trailer for Peter Jackson‘s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was released. And this time we are well and truly thrown into the thick of things.

Set 60 years before events in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit takes us on the first journey through Middle Earth, where a little hobbit named Bilbo Baggins gets taken on the adventure of a lifetime and embroiled in events that would change Middle Earth forever.

There’s a lot to enjoy in this new trailer. Of course we get to see New Zealand in all its splendour (again) but this time there’s much more of everything: the creatures, the dwarves, the perilous mountainsides and the gravely tones of Sir Ian McKellen. Add to this a good helping of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and a fair smattering of well-timed humour, and it really feels like we’re about to go on another epic quest with Jackson and Co.

Amongst all the Middle Earthian-goodness, we also catch our first glimpse of Radagast the Brown – played by ex Dr. Who Sylvester McCoy.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 10 years since Jackson first brought us The Fellowship of the Ring and showed us a Middle Earth many would not have believed possible on screen.

People were worried that with The Hobbit becoming a trilogy, each of the films was going to suffer. From what we see here, there’ll be plenty to keep us entertained in the first film at least. The trailer doesn’t give too much away though, which is a good thing – even for those who have read the book.

Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins is a joy to watch – finally getting his chance to shine in this trailer and show us all why he was the perfect choice. And from the short scenes we see, his face-to-face with Gollum is going to be cinematic gold.

Is this the trailer you’ve been waiting for?

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever … Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities … A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

Directed by Sir Peter Jackson and written by Guillermo del Toro, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, the film’s incredible cast includes: Sir Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Ian Holm, Sylvester McCoy, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Elijah Wood, Evangeline Lilly, Andy Serkis and Richard Armitage

The journey begins on December 14, 2012