The Hobbit Premiere in NYC | Pictures

An epic adventure began at last night's premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey in NYC. The film's stars gathered at the Ziegfeld Theatre in Midtown for the event. Leading man Martin Freeman joined his costar Andy Serkis, who in real life doesn't look much like his character Gollum. Ian McKellen laughed with Richard Armitage and director Peter Jackson. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is the first in a trio of Hobbit films planned by Peter. Next up is The Hobbit: There and Back Again, which will feature Orlando Bloom and Benedict Cumberbatch.

This latest series follows on the heels of Peter's Lord of the Rings franchise. Also in attendance were former costars and members of the Lord of the Rings clan, Liv Tyler and Elijah Wood. Other guests who caught an early showing of the film included Chevy Chase, Terry O'Quinn, and Patrick Stewart. The Hobbit will open to the public when it hits theaters Dec. 14.