A few images taken from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 2013 Almanac give us our first look at King Thranduil – father of Legolas.

If you’re unfamiliar with King Thranduil, he first appears in The Hobbit as the Elvenking, when Bilbo and his party of dwarves enter the realm of nothern Mirkwood. The dwarves are captured by elven guards and locked in a dungeon when they refuse to explain their intentions.

King Thranduil, along with the people of Lake-town demand a share of the treasure of Erebor in The Hobbit, and when the dwarves refuse, war nearly breaks out between them.

Thranduil should play an integral part in the first and second Hobbit films, and possibly the third depending on where Jackson has decided to split his new trilogy.

Thranduil is the father of Legolas, the well known character who was played by Orlando Bloom in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. The relationship formed by Legolas and Gimli in the trilogy is what helps to reconcile the problems that occur between dwarves and elves in The Hobbit. Thranduil is last mentioned after the death of Sauron, but he is assumed to have traveled to the undying lands with the rest of the elves.

American actor Lee Pace will be playing Thranduil and we have to say, he and Orlando Bloom do favor one another as father and son. As always, director Peter Jackson never ceases to impress with his ability to assemble such incredible casts. We look forward to seeing the other characters that Peter Jackson is able to peel right off the page.

 
It was revealed recently that the films will now be named: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (December 14), The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (December 13, 2013), and The Hobbit: There and Back Again which will hit theaters just seven months later on July 18, 2014.