"Lord of the Rings" Fans Counting Down The Days Until New "Hobbit" Film

The latest "Lord of the Rings" film is just months away. "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"  is scheduled to be released on December 14, 2012. It is also expected to be one of the top grossing films of our time. 

These Peter Jackson directed films based on the classic J.R.R. Tolkien books have been a favorite film franchise of our time. The next film is actually the first part of a two-part series. It will be the tale of a Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, and his journey to reclaim a treasure taken from him by a dragon.    The second part of this story will be released in 2013.

Among the performers we will be seeing on the big screen in December is Canadian actress Evangeline Lilly. Lilly plays "Tauriel" in this one. She has had a number of successes in recent years including a role in the critically acclaimed Iraq War film "The Hurt Locker" and a part in one of last year's favorite films "Real Steel."

Lilly began her career working mainly in American television.