Peter Jackson is working hard to stretch a 300 page book into three massive films. So hard, in fact, that he’s even introducing characters who, uh, might not actually appear in The Hobbit. Ever. We now get our first official glimpse at one such character, Tauriel the head of the Elven Guard, in the upcoming film, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug.
Tauriel is played by Evangeline Lilly, best known so far for her parts in Lost and Real Steel. According to Lilly, Tauriel is a Sylvan elf who is head of the Elven Guard. This means that she’s a slightly lower order of elf than our old acquaintances Elrond, Galadriel or even Legolas … but that doesn’t mean she’s not a badass.
It also doesn’t mean that there might not be some romance brewing in Middle Earth. Lilly says that Tauriel and Legolas grew up together. Legolas’s father Thranduil (Lee Pace), the Elven King in Mirkwood who will figure heavily into the last two films of the trilogy, has a soft spot for Tauriel. And so might Legolas, apparently.
Of course, Legolas does not appear in The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug, so I don’t really know what’s going on here. Then again, I’m fairly positive that neither Galadriel nor Saruman are in the book. Nor is Tauriel, who was created by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh. But, whatever – we’re not in Tolkien’s Middle Earth anymore.
It is nice to see a tough female elf back in the saddle again – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey had a bit too much bromance for my liking. Based on the new photos, Tauriel looks pretty cool. I could not care less about any potential romance between her and Legolas, but if they want to fold some of that in too, why not? I long ago gave up hope that these films would actually be The Hobbit that I grew up with.
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug will hit theatres December 13, 2013. Check out the newest photo of Tauriel below.
