Peter Jackson's trilogy of Hobbit movies are obviously going to be crammed with detail, since the story itself-- about Bilbo Baggins off on an adventure with a troupe of dwarves-- is far too slim to make up three films of its own. So get ready not just for lingering with what were once side characters, but some new characters entirely, and one of them with a face very familiar to Lost fans.
We've known that Evangeline Lilly, who played Kate on the long-running sci-fi TV show, would be part of the Hobbit gang, but now we've got our first look at her character Tauriel, thanks to The One Ring. Take a look below:
The image comes from a toy package, and is obviously Photoshopped in the way you expect from posters and the like-- Lilly's famous freckles are nowhere to be seen. But it's worth noting she's dressed nothing like the other female elves we're familiar with from the Lord of the Rings films, who were usually dressed in flowing dresses, even when galloping on horseback with an ailing Hobbit in tow. Tauriel could be wearing a dress, of course, but those sharp looking sleeves suggest a more military-grade outfit-- which makes sense for a character who's described as the head of the Elven guard, and also someone played by the very athletic Lilly.
The original story of The Hobbit is sorely lacking in female characters, so the addition of Tauriel is welcome if just to bring some balance. But are the hardcore Tolkien fans going to reject a brand-new character? We'll find out when The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey comes to theaters December 14.
