These seventeen new character posters for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey are close-up-tastic

I thought about including these in the Poster Round-Up posted just before this, but there were just so bloody many that they cried out for their own special article.  There are more than a few new names and faces to keep straight and become familiar with before THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY arrives this December, and I’m sure that even those amongst you who have followed the film’s promotional materials closely could still use a helping hand (or thirteen). Some of you will recognize the first five posters in this series, as they are simply retouched versions of the Empire magazine covers that were released last week.  Which of course doesn’t make the Gandalf one in particular any less gorgeous.

I’ve also included, for those of you willing to scroll all the way through, a small video interview with Ian McKellen where he talks about returning to the role of Gandalf, whether he wanted to work with Peter Jackson again, and what he happens to think about Michael Fassbender’s portrayal of Magneto.

THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY releases, as by now you’re no doubt intimately aware, on December 14th.