THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES trailer previews the defining chapter

Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies gets a trailer

It’s hard to believe The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is the sixth installment in Peter Jackson’s Middle-Earth saga, but the final film in the franchise just got its first trailer. It’s more of a teaser, but we do see snippets of what to expect as Bilbo and his companions near the end of their adventure together. A title change from “There and Back Again” to “The Battle of the Five Armies” is pretty indicative of the note Jackson wanted to end his saga on, and it looks like, in true over-the-top fashion, we’ll get an epic battle to wrap things up.

Watch the first trailer for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies after the jump.

Chances that this movie will be the final entry we see in the Middle-Earth epic are just as good as the chances that someone (if not Jackson) will decide there’s more story to be told in this realm. Until then, let’s hope the sixth film wraps up The Hobbit trilogy nicely while providing an adequate segue into the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Here’s a fairly in-depth plot synopsis for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies:

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies brings to an epic conclusion the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, Thorin Oakenshield and the Company of Dwarves. Having reclaimed their homeland from the Dragon Smaug, the Company has unwittingly unleashed a deadly force into the world. Enraged, Smaug rains his fiery wrath down upon the defenseless men, women and children of Lake-town.

Obsessed above all else with his reclaimed treasure, Thorin sacrifices friendship and honor to hoard it as Bilbo’s frantic attempts to make him see reason drive the Hobbit towards a desperate and dangerous choice. But there are even greater dangers ahead. Unseen by any but the Wizard Gandalf, the great enemy Sauron has sent forth legions of Orcs in a stealth attack upon the Lonely Mountain.

As darkness converges on their escalating conflict, the races of Dwarves, Elves and Men must decide – unite or be destroyed. Bilbo finds himself fighting for his life and the lives of his friends in the epic Battle of the Five Armies, as the future of Middle-earth hangs in the balance.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ cast is bursting with recognizable names like Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lee Pace, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Richard Armitage, Martin Freeman, Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee, Cate Blanchett, Manu Bennett, Billy Connolly, Bret McKenzie, James Nesbitt, and so many more. The films hits theaters December 17, 2014.