(Cover) - EN Movies - Richard Armitage has promised that The Hobbit will have more humour than The Lord of the Rings.

The British actor plays a dwarf in the eagerly awaited two-part prequel to the Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings series. He has revealed that director Peter Jackson is planning to increase the comedy in the new films.

"There's going to be quite a lot more humour," he told Total Film. "The book is so focused on the dwarves, so I think it's a chance for Peter and Fran [Walsh, co-writer] to really look at that whole race in more detail, their heritage and what they're like as characters."

However, fans of the series shouldn't be worried that the classic book is turning into a comedy. Richard has reassured fans that there will be plenty of action and fantasy set-pieces, and in fact he has spent hours in sword training.

"It's b**ody heavy!" he explained. "But it's absolutely beautiful to look at. Every time they bring something new out everyone gasps. The armour that the dwarves emerge from the mountain wearing at the end of the film will be the armour of all armour."

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be released in December 2012. (C) Cover Media