At the close of July, we told you about the confirmation that Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit would become a trilogy of films. We can’t wait to see the wealth of material in The Hobbit and Tolkien’s appendices in The Lord of the Rings realized on screen!

While we eagerly await for December to roll around for the release of the first installment, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Warner Bros. has released two new stills for us to chew on:

Synopsis:

“The Hobbit” follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior, Thorin Oakensheild. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers.

Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever… Gollum.

Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities… A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is slated to hit theaters on December 14, 2012.

The second film of The Hobbit is slated to hit theaters on December 13, 2013.

And the third film of The Hobbit is scheduled for summer of 2014.