Claim: The Hobbit series has three films.

The Hobbit : An Unexpected Journey is a 2012 epic high fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson . It is the first installment in a three-part film adaptation based on the 1937 novel The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien . It is followed by The Desolation of Smaug -LRB- 2013 -RRB- and The Battle of the Five Armies -LRB- 2014 -RRB- , and together they act as a prequel to Jackson 's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy . The film 's screenplay was written by Peter Jackson , his longtime collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens , and Guillermo del Toro , who was originally chosen to direct the film before leaving the project in 2010 .   The story is set in Middle-earth sixty years before the events of The Lord of the Rings , and portions of the film are adapted from the appendices to Tolkien 's The Return of the King . An Unexpected Journey tells the tale of Bilbo Baggins -LRB- Martin Freeman -RRB- , who is convinced by the wizard Gandalf -LRB- Ian McKellen -RRB- to accompany thirteen Dwarves , led by Thorin Oakenshield -LRB- Richard Armitage -RRB- , on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain from the dragon Smaug . The ensemble cast also includes James Nesbitt , Ken Stott , Cate Blanchett , Ian Holm , Christopher Lee , Hugo Weaving , Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis , and features Sylvester McCoy , Barry Humphries and Manu Bennett .   An Unexpected Journey premiered on 28 November 2012 in New Zealand and was released internationally on 12 December 2012 . The film has grossed over $ 1 billion at the box office , surpassing both The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers nominally , becoming the fourth highest-grossing film of 2012 and the 26th highest-grossing film of all time . Receiving mixed to positive reviews from critics , the film was nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects , Best Production Design , and Best Makeup and Hairstyling . It was also nominated for three British Academy Film Awards .