Warner Bros. has released three new The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies images online.  The film concludes the Hobbit saga as five armies descend upon the Lonely Mountain in order to claim its now unguarded treasure, and it also acts as as prelude to Jackson’s other J.R.R. Tolkein trilogy, The Lord of the Rings.  Because The Desolation of Smaug ended in an action cliffhanger (as opposed to the previous movies, which ended in walking cliffhangers), I assume TBOTFA will begin with Smaug raining down fire on Lake-town.  The movie is supposed to end with a 45-minute battle sequence, and I guess that's the only way to go when your first set piece is a dragon destroying an entire town.

Hit the jump to check out The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies images.  The film stars Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch, Stephen Fry, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Ken Stott, James Nesbitt, and Orlando Bloom.  The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies opens on December 17th.

Via Empire.

the-hobbit-the-battle-of-the-five-armies-smaug-1

the-hobbit-the-battle-of-the-five-armies-smaug

the-hobbit-the-battle-of-the-five-armies-luke-evans-1

Here’s the official 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.