Warner Bros and New Line announced the release date on Friday (Aug 31) for The Hobbit: There And Back Again.

New Line and MGM are partnering on Peter Jackson’s trilogy with Warner Bros handling worldwide distribution and marketing.

The adventure begins on Dec 14 when The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens in theatres, followed by the retitled second episode The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug on Dec 13, 2013.