With just a few weeks to go until the release of An Unexpected Journey in theaters, Warner Bros. has released the first Hobbit clip from the highly anticipated Peter Jackson trilogy.
In the scene we watch the following dialogue take place between Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman):
Gandalf: “Here, this is about your size.”
Bilbo: “I can’t take this.”
Gandalf: “The blade is of Elvish make, which means it’ll glow blue when orcs or goblins are nearby.”
Bilbo: “I’ve never used a sword in my life.”
Gandalf: “And I hope you never have to. But if you do, remember this: True courage is about knowing not when to take a life – but to spare one.”
Chilling words from Gandalf, and a beautiful clip overall. An Unexpected Journey is the first of three films in The Hobbit trilogy directed by Peter Jackson. The score is penned by Howard Shore, who also handled the Lord of the Rings trilogy. You can listen to the entire Hobbit score for free – see our previous story. It will be available to purchase on December 11.
The country of New Zealand, where The Hobbit trilogy was shot, is about to host the world premiere of Part 1: An Unexpected Journey. The city of Wellington will change their name to “The Middle of Middle-earth” for three weeks. The new name will be used on letters, in the city’s newspaper, and on postcards. The city’s new logo can be seen in our previous story. It was designed by Daniel Reeve, who did cartography and calligraphy for the films.
An Unexpected Journey hits theaters December 14. Part 2, The Desolation of Smaug will be released December 13, 2013. There and Back Again, part 3, will be released July 18, 2014. Watch the final An Unexpected Journey trailer!