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Days before "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" opens Stateside, fans of the movie are treated to a very first image of the final installment of the trilogy, "The Hobbit: There and Back Again". Courtesy of Entertainment Weekly, the picture uncovers the first look at Orlando Bloom and Luke Evans.

Bloom returns as long-haired prince Legolas, while Evans plays Bard the Bowman. Explaining Legolas' role in "The Hobbit", Peter Jackson says, "He's [elven king] Thranduil's son, and Thranduil is one of the characters in The Hobbit, and because elves are immortal it makes sense Legolas would be part of the sequence in the Woodland Realm."

Of Bard the Bowman, scribe Philippa Boyens says, "Bard is an interesting character, but [in the book] he's kind of a random character who comes in after the fact. We take more time introducing him. We know from what follows that he was a father, so we [explore] that. I don't think we take liberties, because it's all there in the storytelling."

"The Hobbit" trilogy begins with "An Unexpected Journey" that follows the journey of 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.

The first film will be released on December 14, while its follow-up "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" will open next year on December 13. The finale, meanwhile, will arrive in 2014 on July 18.

Building the anticipation of the first movie, Warner Bros. Pictures unveils a new clip that focuses on Gandalf (Ian McKellen). In the snippet, the wise wizard is seen warning Saruman (Christopher Lee), Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), and Elrond (Hugo Weaving) about the awaiting danger of the fearsome dragon Smaug. However, nobody seems to believe his warning.