SNAPSHOT
After successfully crossing over (and under) the Misty Mountains, Thorin and Company must seek aid from a powerful stranger before taking on the dangers of Mirkwood Forest–without their Wizard. If they reach the human settlement of Lake-town it will be time for the hobbit Bilbo Baggins to fulfill his contract with the dwarves. The party must complete the journey to Lonely Mountain and burglar Baggins must seek out the Secret Door that will give them access to the hoard of the dragon Smaug. And, where has Gandalf got off to? And what is his secret business to the south? Written by Otaku-sempai (source: imdb.com)
If you recall when last we left the brave company of Thorin’s dwarves and Bilbo Baggins at the end of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, they had been carried to within sight of Erebor, the Lonely Mountain within which lies Smaug the dragon and a fathomless pile of gold which he zealously guards.
And action-packed though there journey to that point was, with the last part carried aloft by the giant Eagles of Manwë no less, it looks like things are only going to get more action-packed from hereon in if this newly released pic is any indication.
Here’s what bleedingcool.com had to say about the image:
“As noted by the Tolkieniacs [I love this term!] at The One Ring, this promo image of Dwarfs in barrels suggests some changes from the original Hobbit novel. For one thing, they’re not all on the verge of throwing up. For another, there’s the exciting promise of arrows embedded in the wood, as though they’ve come under fire. This means “action set piece” and Jackson tends to be very good at these, going right back to when he played every character in the fight scene himself.
No wonder ever expected that the trip to Erebor would be a walk in the park but it looks like it’s going to involve quite a bit more fighting till they reach their goal.
Quite how much fighting will be involved will only become clear when The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opens in the USA and UK on 13 December 2013 and Australia on 26 December.
* To tide you over till that day, here’s a LEGO version of the teaser trailer (discovered via my Triberr mate Eoghann Irving’s site eoghann.com) that debuted back in June this year. It’s inspired, clever and a whole lot of fun and I’ve included the original trailer below it so you can contrast, compare, and squee with joy as needed …