Star Trek Into Darkness to preview nine minutes of footage in IMAX 3D

The crew of the USS Enterprise are set to engage audiences in summer 2013 with the upcoming sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness .

However, cinemagoers will get the opportunity to see a juicy nine minutes of footage in December. Paramount are set to attach the preview footage from the 2013 film to what could be the biggest film of 2012: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey .

Following the trend set by The Dark Knight Rises prologue at the beginning of MI:4 , the footage will be screened in IMAX 3D for audiences around the world from 14 December.

Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment, said: "Our longtime partners J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk and the Bad Robot team have really hit it out of the park - the footage is absolutely incredible."

He continues: "Their use of the IMAX Camera and canvas is sure to impress current and future Star Trek fans alike. We're thrilled to once again work with our friends at Paramount Pictures to offer this extended 'first look' at this highly-anticipated summer blockbuster."

With only a three-frame teaser previously available, we cannot wait to see footage of the crew tackling Benedict Cumberbatch's (as-yet unnamed but no doubt nefarious) villain.

As key sequences were filmed using IMAX cameras, you can bet that the prologue will have been shot for that epic canvas.

UK cinemas currently confirmed for the footage include Cineworld sites in Dublin, Nottingham, Enfield, Crawley, Sheffield, Edinburgh, Ipswich and Birmingham, with more to be announced.

The film is set to hit UK screen on 17 May 2013, with Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto and Zoe Saldana reprising their roles.