The-Hobbit:-The-Desolation-of-Smaug-BannerWith less than two months to go before Bilbo and co. make their anticipated return to the big screen, Warner Bros. has been gearing up nicely with their marketing campaign for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.

The second instalment in Peter Jackson’s new trilogy hits the big screen mid-December, and after recently launching a new trailer, along with the first three TV spots, the studio has now debuted a mighty big banner, teasing all of the leading cast.

The second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece “The Hobbit”, by J.R.R. Tolkien, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” continues the adventures of the title character Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.

Martin Freeman is naturally back as the young Bilbo Baggins, and he’s joined by Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lee Pace, Orlando Bloom, Sylvester McCoy, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, Stephen Fry, and many, many more.

Jackson is directing from a script he co-wrote with Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh, adapting the original novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, and expanding upon it with extensive use of the author’s indices.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug will be released in 3D, HFR 3D, and IMAX 3D on December 13th in the UK and US, and it’s going to be very interesting to see if it crosses the $1bn. threshold like its predecessor.

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