The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug Teasers Debut

Our first preview of this year's greatest fantasy movie has landed!
What with Iron Man 3, Star Trek Into Darkness, Man Of Steel, The Wolverine and Kick-Ass 2 all headlining what promises to be one of the best Summer Of Film seasons yet, you'd be forgiven for forgetting that the next entry in the The Hobbit film franchise is on the way later in 2013 too. Titled The Desolation Of Smaug, this second instalment follows Bilbo, Gandalf and the company of dwarves as they travel through spider-infested forests, deadly Elvish lairs and into the Lonely Mountain itself as they race to discover their lost treasure and steal it from the claws of the evil dragon Smaug.

The sequel boasts a sensational cast including Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry, Sylvester McCoy, Billy Connolly, Orlando Bloom, Christopher Lee and Cate Blanchett, following up on the tale of An Unexpected Journey with rather epic new adventures that finally includes the iconic Thief In The Night scene between Bilbo (Freeman) and Smaug (Cumberbatch). Today, we've had a few new teasers for the film unveiled via an exclusive online blog conducted by Peter Jackson for DVD and Blu-Ray owners of the first entry. Here's our round-up of what was revealed...

• LAKETOWN- Bilbo and the dwarves arrive in Laketown a little way into this second film, and here they meet the eccentric Master Of Laketown, played by none other than Stephen Fry. Fry has promised a rather hilarious take on the character, teasing that the Master Of Laketown may not only be in The Desolation Of Smaug, but 2014's Christmas release There And Back Again as well.
• MIRKWOOD- Mirkwood is the famed home of the Elves pre-The Lord Of The Rings. Here, there's a powerful elf leader who wants revenge on Thorin Oakenshield in particular for a betrayal long past, and Orlando Bloom's Legolas will feature in dialogue conversations too. Don't think this will be the last time we see the Elf race, though- as Hobbit fans will know, their role in the third film's Battle Of Five Armies should be of paramount importance!
• RIVENDELL- We'll be making another trip back to Rivendell on top of all that. Don't expect Bilbo and the gang to appear at the HQ of the White Council, however- it's more likely that Gandalf will discuss further just what the threat of the Necromancer (aka Sauron, here played by Benedict Cumberbatch in a dual-role with Smaug) implies for Middle-Earth if he is not vanquished. And speaking of that ambiguous adversary...
• TOMBS & NECROMANCY- The role of the Necromancer will be expanded from his brief cameo in An Unexpected Journey this time around. Fans didn't get to glimpse much concrete footage from Desolation- a full trailer is being readied to release with an unnamed Summer movie- but they did at least see Gandalf and Sylvester McCoy's Radagast The Brown investigate the original tomb of Sauron, only to discover his grave empty and originally empty tombs now filled with corpses. It seems that the power of this enemy is increasing, and his role within the next two films should be very exciting indeed.
• THE CONFRONTATION- Finally, director Peter Jackson confirmed that his favourite part of Desolation has to be the confrontation of Sherlock stars Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch as Bilbo and Smaug respectively in Erebor. Bilbo is on a mission to either slay the dragon or bring the dwarves as much of their gold as possible using his magical ring, yet it isn't long before he's discovered, and a game of riddles even more deadly than that of the one with Gollum ensues. Make no mistake, this confrontation should be the highlight of the second instalment, and while we're not sure whether Smaug will meet his end here or in the opening of Part Three (wouldn't it be a brilliant cliffhanger if the Battle Of Five Armies beckoned just before the credits), this should be yet another enticing element in its own right to bring audiences back!

The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug sneaks into cinemas worldwide on December 13th. The Hobbit: A Unexpected Journey hits UK DVD and Blu-Ray retailers on Monday April 8th.