Evangeline Lilly has joined the cast of The Hobbit movies.

The former Lost actress has signed on to play a new character, Tauriel, but director Sir Peter Jackson refused to give any further details about the woodland elf.

"Her name means 'daughter of Mirkwood' and, beyond that, we must leave you guessing! (No, there is no romantic connection to Legolas)," Jackson revealed on his Facebook page.

Also joining the cast for the start of the second block of shooting is Australian actor Barry Humphries, who will portray the Goblin King, with extensive use of motion capture technology.

"We're looking forward to seeing him invest the Goblin King with the delicate sensitivity and emotional depth this character deserves."

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey and The Hobbit: There and Back Again will be released in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Both releases will star Martin Freeman as the titular character.