The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is a 2012 epic high fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Jackson, and Guillermo del Toro, based on the 1937 novel The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is the first instalment in The Hobbit trilogy, acting as a prequel to Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Two sequels, The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Five Armies, followed in 2013 and 2014, respectively.