The Hobbit to premiere in New Zealand

Wellington - The world premiere for the first The Hobbit film is set to be held in Wellington, reports the New Zealand Herald.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is set for a worldwide release on 13 December, but will premiere on 28 November in Wellington, where the movie is currently being filmed – in 3D.

Directed by Peter Jackson, An Unexpected Journey is the first of two Hobbit films which serve as prequels to the epic The Lord of the Rings trilogy which was released between 2001 and 2003.

Many of the film's stars are expected to attend the premiere. The Hobbit sees Sir Ian McKellan reprising his role as wizard Gandalf who encourages a younger Bilbo (played by Martin Freeman) to leave behind the comfort of the Shire and undertake a journey across Middle Earth with a motley group of dwarves.

'A celebration'

Along the way Bilbo meets the elves for the first time, finds the ring of power and encounters the corrupted Gollum (Andy Serkis), who is looking for his "precious".

"The Hobbit's world premiere will be a celebration of Sir Peter's devotion to Wellington as well as a great showcase of the Capital City's creativity," Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown told the Herald.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said the event would be a "crowd-pleaser" that would serve as a boost for New Zealand's tourism industry.

Nearly 12 000 people lined the streets of Wellington for the premiere of the The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King in 2003.

The second film, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, is set to be released in December 2013.

Peter Jackson has also released his latest production diary from the set of The Hobbit, which is expected to wrap up production in the next six weeks.

Watch Peter Jackson's latest The Hobbit production diary here: