The two-minute trailer features plenty of elvish action (including the debut of Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel (see "First Pic of Tauriel"), and the return of Orlando Bloom as Legolas), but the real highlight is the first look at the dragon Smaug, the title character, at 1:47.
The dragon, played by a motion-captured Benedict Cumberbatch (most recently seen as that villain in Star Trek: Into Darkness), is seen mostly in shadow approaching a cowering Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), but he only growls, so we don’t get to hear Cumberbatch’s voice yet.
The movie will be released in theaters on December 13th. The third installment, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, is slated for release on Dec. 17, 2014.