Greater Perils Face Bilbo and Company in 'The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug' Teaser

Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and his company of dwarves close in on The Lonely Mountain.

After teasing audiences nearly six months ago with just an eye bursting out mountains of gold, director Peter Jackson briefly reveals a bit more of the dragon Smaug in the teaser trailer for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which was released online Tuesday. 

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug continues the journey across Middle-earth from last Christmas as Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman from BBC Sherlock fame) and thirteen dwarves set out to take back a mountain stronghold from a gold-hoarding fire breathing dragon.

'Hobbit' Digibook Leads Off Epic Middle-Earth Trilogy

Cornered and nowhere to run, this is the perfect place to keep audiences hanging another year.

Harsh criticisms such as overindulgences and cheap marketing ploys have been thrown around the film circles a bit too much regarding Peter Jackson's return to Middle-Earth in nearly a decade. Sure, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey only covers 1/3 of a 300-page children's book, leaving audiences hanging for two more 3-hour sequels, but there's nothing wrong than building up a little anticipation. Not at all.

In the first leg of this three-movie trek, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) sets out from his comfortable hobbit hole in the midst of the Shire's green pastures to join 13 dwarves who have been displaced by a  dragon plundering their mountain stronghold. For those joining the adventures of fantastical Middle-Earth for the very first time should know that along the way, birds, beasts and a gangly creature called Gollum are obstacles in the way of reclaiming the Lonely Mountain.

Spielberg Returns with Visually Groundbreaking 'Tintin'

Tintin (Jamie Bell) and Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis) team up to find the secret of the Unicorn.

When two of Hollywood’s most acclaimed directors converge together, you simply expect a project that hoists itself above the ordinary and perhaps the extraordinary too. Steven Spielberg has proved time and time again, hardly without fail that he is the universal benchmark among directors. Whether tackling historical drama or sci-fi, Spielberg has brought to life some of most iconic films of the past forty years, but it is when he ventures back to those serials from the 30s and 40s along the lines of Indiana Jones does the timeless magic take shape once more. 

Now The Adventures of Tintin might not be a classic charismatic archaeologist with a bullwhip, but a Belgian boy detective and journalist, a drunken sea captain and cuddly canine companion are an equal fit for the genre and for Spielberg himself. The Adventures of Tintin is based on the Hergé comics from that serial era. Spielberg starts the adventure in the middle of the series with The Secret of the Unicorn, which also happened to be a temporary subtitle for the film as well.