Claim: The Hobbit films starred James Nesbitt.

The Hobbit is a film series consisting of three high fantasy adventure films directed by Peter Jackson . They are based on the 1937 novel The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien , with large portions of the trilogy inspired by the appendices to The Return of the King , which expand on the story told in The Hobbit , as well as new material and characters written especially for the films . Together they act as a prequel to Jackson 's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy . The films are subtitled An Unexpected Journey -LRB- 2012 -RRB- , The Desolation of Smaug -LRB- 2013 -RRB- , and The Battle of the Five Armies -LRB- 2014 -RRB- .   The screenplay was written by Fran Walsh , Philippa Boyens , Jackson , and Guillermo del Toro , who was originally chosen to direct before his departure from the project . The films take place in the fictional world of Middle-earth sixty years before the beginning of The Lord of the Rings , and follow hobbit Bilbo Baggins -LRB- Martin Freeman -RRB- , who is convinced by the wizard Gandalf the Grey -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 -LRB- voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch -RRB- . The films also expand upon certain elements from the novel and other source material , such as Gandalf 's investigation at Dol Guldur , and the pursuit of Azog and Bolg , who seek vengeance against Thorin and his ancestors .   The films feature an ensemble cast that also includes James Nesbitt , Ken Stott , Evangeline Lilly , Lee Pace and Luke Evans , with several actors reprising their roles from The Lord of the Rings , including Cate Blanchett , Orlando Bloom , Ian Holm , Christopher Lee , Hugo Weaving , Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis . The films also feature Manu Bennett , Sylvester McCoy , Stephen Fry , Mikael Persbrandt , Barry Humphries , and Lawrence Makoare . Also returning for production , among others , were illustrators John Howe and Alan Lee , art director Dan Hennah , cinematographer Andrew Lesnie , and composer Howard Shore , while props were again crafted by Weta Workshop , with visual effects managed by Weta Digital .   The first film in the series premiered at the Embassy Theatre in Wellington , New Zealand on 28 November 2012 . One hundred thousand people lined the red carpet on Courtenay Place , and the entire event was broadcast live on television in New Zealand and streamed over the Internet . The second film of the series premiered at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles , California on 2 December 2013 . The third and final film premiered at Leicester Square in London on 1 December 2014 .   The series was a major financial success , with the films classified as one of the highest-grossing film series of all time , going on to outgross The Lord of the Rings film trilogy . Although critically considered to be inferior to The Lord of the Rings , it was nominated for various awards and won several , though not as many as its predecessor .