The first trailer for 'The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies' shows a Middle-earth ready for war

Attendees of Comic-Con 2014 may have been lucky enough to get a look at the first trailer for Peter Jackson's final Hobbit film, but now those of us who didn't make the trek to San Diego are getting our first look. The first teaser trailer for the newly-titled The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is now online for all to view, and it shows a Middle-earth embroiled in massive conflict, with dwarves, elves, wizards, humans, a hobbit, and, of course, a massive, fire-breathing dragon all ready for war. The preview also notably repurposes music from The Return of the King — specifically, the song Billy Boyd as the hobbit Pippin sings as the forces of Minas Tirith are decimated in an epic battle.

To go along with the new trailer, the team behind the movie also released a dramatic new poster of Bilbo Baggins kneeling in reflection with his sword Sting. This first look at the movie is coming a little bit later than fans had anticipated — in early July, Jackson said on his Facebook page that the first "full" trailer for the film wouldn't arrive until October, as there were still lots of VFX shots to be completed. However, this teaser still gives a good idea of what the emotional tone of the final film will be without spoiling much the titular battle. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is scheduled to premiere on December 17th.

• SourceWarner Bros. (YouTube)
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