Lost's Evangeline Lilly Joins The Hobbit—but Which Character Is She Taking On?

Actress signs on to play an elf in the two-part Lord of the Rings prequel

A former Lost star has found herself cast in The Hobbit.

Director Peter Jackson revealed on Sunday via his Facebook page that Evangeline Lilly has joined the highly anticipated two-part prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

So who exactly will she be playing?

According to Jackson, Lilly is taking on the role of a new character—the woodland elf Tauriel. "Her name means 'daughter of Mirkwood,' and beyond that, we must leave you guessing! (No, there is no romantic connection to Legolas.)," he wrote. "What is not a secret is how talented and compelling an actress Evangeline is; we are thrilled and excited she will be the one to bring our first true Sylvan Elf to life."

In other words, the new mom is not portraying a Hobbit like her ex-boyfriend and Lost costar Dominic Monaghan did in those earlier films.

Jackson also shared that Barry Humphries, best known for his alter ego Dame Edna Everage, has come on board as the Goblin King, "in much the way Andy Serkis created Gollum."

The announcement of both Lilly and Humphries signing on to the production "just about rounds out the major casting," wrote Jackson, who also noted the recent addition last week of Clash of the Titans actor Luke Evans as Bard. "I cannot wait to get stuck into these new scenes!"

Much like we cannot wait for The Hobbit itself to be released in late 2012.