As the merchandising for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey begins to roll out into stores, you can expect to see more photos of unseen characters. The first of which is Evangeline Lilly (Real Steel, “LOST”) as the elf Tauriel. Tauriel is a mild controversy among “The Lord of the Rings” fans due to her being a creation of the screenwriters and not appearing in the actual book by J.R.R. Tolkien. TheOneRing.net snapped a picture of the character on the back of one of the new toys and you can check it out below.
The December 14 release follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield. Their journey will take them into the Wild; through treacherous lands swarming with Goblins and Orcs, deadly Wargs and Giant Spiders, Shapeshifters and Sorcerers. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever… Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths of guile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” ring that holds unexpected and useful qualities… A simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
