The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will have its world premiere in New Zealand on November 28.

Director Peter Jackson has revealed the special screening will be hosted at the Embassy Theatre in Wellington before the movie is released worldwide in December as filming took place in the country.

"We cannot think of a more perfect way to send The Hobbit off into the world than to celebrate with a huge party here in Wellington, where the journey began," he said.

Based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, the movie is set 60 years before the events in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy take place. In The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins attempts to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from Smaug, the dragon. Martin Freeman plays the hobbit while Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett and Ian McKellen, will all reprise their roles from the trilogy. Andy Serkis will once again star as Gollum using motion capture imagery.

The film is split into two parts, with the second installment - The Hobbit: There And Back Again - due for release in December 2013.