The character does not appear in the original book, but was created by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh as an expansion of material adapted from the book, and first appears in the second film in that trilogy, The Desolation of Smaug, released December 13, 2013.
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In June 2011 Peter Jackson announced that actress Evangeline Lilly, who was known for her portrayal of Kate Austen in the ABC drama Lost, was cast in the role.
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In 1937 J. R. R. Tolkien published the fantasy novel The Hobbit, whose plot centres on a group consisting of Bilbo Baggins, Gandalf and thirteen dwarves, who go in search of a treasure guarded by the dragon, Smaug.