The Lord of the Rings fans were happy to hear that Peter Jackson took on the directing role of The Hobbit, a two-part prequel to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which has just finished the first of three shooting blocks. The first part, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, is scheduled for release in December 2012.

Jackson and a troupe of directors and staff have set out to find the best peaks and locations on New Zealand’s South Island before cast and crew reconvene on the set in September for the second round of shooting.

In the meantime, the first official photos from the movie have been released.

While fans are still waiting for the first part of The Hobbit anticipation is building for the second part, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, to be released at the end of 2013. Even though the planning for the movies began a number of years ago, a lot of work has gone into pre-production, including rebuilding old sets, creating new costumes, and creating new sets.

The Lord of the Rings fans can expect to see many similar sets as in the trilogy and of course most of the old cast playing the same characters. The Hobbit prequels, however, will focus more on Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman. Bilbo is the uncle of Frodo Baggins, who will reveal the beginning of the journey of the ring.

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings are based on the iconic books by writer, poet, philologist, and Oxford professor J. R. R. Tolkein, who died in 1973.