War is brewing in The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. With all factions preparing for a bloody confrontation, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) volunteers to help get a message to Thorin Oakenshield in this first clip from the conclusion of Peter Jackson's fantasy epic. Gandalf (Ian McKellen) doesn't think the little guy has it in him, but Bilbo doesn't really care.

Speaking of McKellen, the actor spoke with the BBC at the film's London premiere and hinted his days wearing the robes and pointy hat might not be over. After all, he said farewell to the role of Gandalf once before, with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

"I was told by Peter, in 2001, that that was the end, that it was all over," he said. "Here we are 13 years later. So I don't believe necessarily this is the end of the journey."

For now, though, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies will be the final chapter in Gandalf's saga. The movie opens Dec. 17.