Here’s the eighth TV spot released for Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which is due to debut in theaters nationwide on December 14th.  Although most of this footage has been seen in previous trailers and TV spots there are a few quick glimpses of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) wielding his trusty blade, which he names "Sting" after his battle with the giant spiders in the forest of Mirkwood.

 

The pace of promotion for the first of Jackson’s trio of Hobbit movies is picking up as its debut draws near. Warner Bros. recently released a powerful 60-second international trailer (see "New 60-Second International 'Hobbit' Spot").  The film has also engendered more than its share of controversial publicity including charges of animal cruelty (see "PETA Takes on Peter Jackson" for one side and "Studio Fires Back at PETA" for the other), and a lawsuit from the Tolkien estate over the licensing of "The Hobbit" slot machines (see "Tolkien Estate Sues Warners").