Star Trek Into Darkness, the upcoming film from director J.J. Abrams, won't hit theaters until May, but fans will be able to see a limited preview next month, courtesy of Paramount Pictures. The studio announced this week that it will premiere the first nine minutes of the movie in 500 IMAX 3D theaters across the US, beginning December 14th. Entertainment Weekly reports that the clip will be shown ahead of Peter Jackson's The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

In screening the opening of his film on IMAX, Abrams follows in the footsteps of Christopher Nolan, who debuted the first minutes of The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises ahead of I Am Legend and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, respectively. Paramount notes, however, that this is the first time an extended preview has been shown in IMAX 3D.

Written by Damon Lindelof, Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci, Star Trek Into Darkness is the sequel to Abrams' 2009 reboot, which starred Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. Paramount has yet to release a trailer for the film, though it has announced a theatrical release date of May 17th.