New Look: Evangeline Lilly As Tauriel In 'The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug'

We've seen a couple looks at Evangeline Lilly's new Hobbit character, Tauriel, in production photos and a behind the scenes video. But the shot above is part of the first official look at Lilly's character as she'll be seen in the film proper. Along with that is a bit more info about Tauriel, which you can get below.

Speaking to EW, Lilly said,

Tauriel is the head of the Elven Guard. She's a Sylvan Elf, which means she's of a much lower order than the elves we all became acquainted with in The Lord of the Rings. She doesn't hold the same kind of status that Arwen or Galadriel or Elrond or Legolas do — she's much more lowly. She sort of goes against the social order of the elves a little bit.

She also promised a love story, and talked about how Legolas might fit in:

Tauriel's relationship with Legolas is significant. They've known each other since they were children, and Legolas' dad, [Elven king] Thrandruil, has a soft spot for Tauriel and sees something very special in her. So if you grow up side by side, and your dad has a very special spot in his heart for this young woman who's a fantastic warrior, I think it's hard not to notice her. That's probably as much as I can say.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opens on December 13. The final chapter, The Hobbit: There and Back Again, opens on December 17, 2014.