Now that we’ve gotten the bit players out of the way, it’s time to get down to the big heroes in Peter Jackson’s upcoming first installment of The Hobbit duology, An Unexpected Journey. Our very first look at Thorin Oakenshield has just popped up online, and he’s at least twice as cool as we hoped he’d be. Actually, he may be too cool. Are we sure this guy is a dwarf? He looks kind of like Princess Bride era Mandy Patinkin.

The image below comes from TheOneRing, where they have a high-res version. Head over there to stick the largest Thorin possible in your eyeballs.



Thorin is the leader of the dwarf company joined by Bilbo Baggins on their journey to slay the dragon Smaug. Throin is played by Richard Armitage and in the photo above you can also see the hero sword Orcrist, the Goblin-cleaver. Here’s his official character description, straight from Middle Earth:

As a young Dwarf prince, Thorin witnessed the destruction and terror wrought when a great fire-breathing Dragon attacked the Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor. After slaughtering many of Thorin’s kin, the great serpent, Smaug, entered The Lonely Mountain and took possession of its vast store of gold and jewels. No-one came to the aid of the surviving Dwarves, and thus, a once proud and noble race was forced into exile. Through long years of hardship, Thorin grew to be a strong and fearless fighter and revered leader. In his heart a fierce desire grew; a desire to reclaim his homeland and destroy the beast that had brought such misery upon his people. So when fate offers him an unusual ally, he seizes the chance for revenge.