‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ trailer readies for war

Peter Jackson’s epic cinematic journey into the world of J.R.R. Tolkien is finally drawing to a close this year with “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” his sixth film set in Middle-earth, and a new teaser trailer offers a glimpse of what’s in store.

The somber two-minute clip, which you can watch above, opens with a grave-sounding Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) promising, “One day I’ll remember — remember everything that happened. The good, the bad, those who survived and those who did not.”

Following are images of the dragon Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch) reducing a town to ashes; armies of men, elves, dwarfs and goblins amassing; and bodies — including a familiar face at one point — lying on the battlefield.

The action is set to a haunting rendition of “A Walking Song” from “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” the success of which Jackson and Warner Bros. would certainly be happy to duplicate: That film grossed more than $1 billion worldwide and won 11 Oscars.

Speaking at Comic-Con the weekend, where the teaser debuted, Jackson indicated that the “Hobbit” finale would have a dark, dramatic tone.

“There’s a lot of sadness and tragedy,” the director said. “It’s always good when you can kill off some main characters, as a filmmaker. It’s a chance to do something ugly, powerful and emotional.”

“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” opens Dec. 17.

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