More pictures from "The Hobbit" and advance ticket purchasing info

Before you finish getting hyped up for James Bond’s “Skyfall,” you can get your ticket for the winter season’s other big blockbuster —  “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.”

Moviegoers who are eagerly anticipating the Dec. 14 release of the epic fantasy adventure “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” will be able to secure their seats over a month in advance when tickets go on sale, online and in theaters across North America, at noon Eastern Time, on Wednesday, Nov. 7.

 

As part of the celebration, moviegoers will have the opportunity to re-experience Middle-earth in big screen marathons of “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy in their Extended Cut editions on Saturday, December 8, and Sunday, December 9. Tickets for these all-day events will also go on sale, online and in theaters throughout the U.S., at noon Eastern time on Wednesday, November 7.

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who joins the Wizard Gandalf and 13 Dwarves, led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield, on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug.

Ian McKellen returns as Gandalf the Grey, the character he played in “The Lord of the Rings” Trilogy, with Martin Freeman in the central role of Bilbo Baggins, and Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield. Also reprising their roles from “The Lord of the Rings” in “The Hobbit” Trilogy are: Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Ian Holm as the elder Bilbo; Christopher Lee as Saruman; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Elijah Wood as Frodo; and Andy Serkis as Gollum. The international ensemble cast of the trilogy also includes (in alphabetical order) Manu Bennett, Jed Brophy, Adam Brown, John Callen, Mark Hadlow, Peter Hambleton, Barry Humphries, Stephen Hunter, William Kircher, Sylvester McCoy, Bret McKenzie, Graham McTavish, James Nesbitt, Dean O’Gorman, Conan Stevens, Ken Stott and Aidan Turner.