We could write some kind of tantalizing introduction, but come on: it's the new poster for 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.' It requires no introduction.

Anyone who remembers the glossy character portraits that defined that marketing campaign for the 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy a decade ago will get some deja vu here. It's an entirely new face this time around, showcasing Martin Freeman as the young Bilbo Baggins (wielding the blade known as Sting, of course). The layout of the poster and its concentration on a single member of the cast suggests that this is simply in the first of a series. It's safe to suggest that there will be a good dozen of these in the coming weeks, each showcasing a different character. We'll put good money on Gandalf's poster debuting before the month is over.

So we now see the game plan for how the're going to sell the three 'Hobbit' films: they're going to echo what they did for the last Middle Earth-set trilogy. Hey, if it isn't broken, why fix it?

What do you think of the poster?

New The Hobbit Poster
Warner Bros./MGM
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