Warner Bros. is adding a little more star power to Middle-earth. The studio revealed that Anya Taylor-Joy has joined “The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum,” the upcoming live-action return to J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world from New Line Cinema.
Taylor-Joy is set to play Seren, a Sindar Elf of the Woodland Realm described as “a trusted and lethal agent of King Thranduil,” the Elvenking played by Lee Pace in “The Hobbit” films, and a role Pace is already confirmed to reprise in “The Hunt for Gollum.” That detail places the character firmly in the Mirkwood/Thranduil corner of Tolkien’s world, and the accompanying reveal image shows Seren as an Elf archer—a design choice that may remind many fans of Tauriel, the original character played by Evangeline Lilly in those same “Hobbit” films.
The cast also includes Andy Serkis reprising Gollum/Sméagol, Ian McKellen returning as Gandalf, Elijah Wood returning as Frodo Baggins, and Pace reprising the aforementioned Thranduil. Newcomers include Jamie Dornan as Strider, the Aragorn role made iconic by Viggo Mortensen in Peter Jackson’s trilogy, Kate Winslet as Marigol, and Leo Woodall as Halvard, with Anya Taylor-Joy now joining the ensemble as Seren.
The film is being directed by Serkis —obviously playing double duty as director and major character—with Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens producing. Walsh and Boyens are writing the screenplay alongside Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou, who worked on “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.” Officially announced in 2024 as the first of two new Middle-earth films, “The Hunt for Gollum” continues Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema’s push to expand the theatrical side of the Tolkien franchise after Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies.
Taylor-Joy broke out in Robert Eggers’ “The Witch” and has since moved between genre films, prestige television, and studio blockbusters, with credits including “Split,” “Glass,” “Emma,” “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Last Night in Soho,” “The Menu,” “Dune: Part Two,” and “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.” The actress won a Golden Globe and received a Primetime Emmy nomination for her performance as Beth Harmon in “The Queen’s Gambit,” while also earning additional Golden Globe nominations for “Emma” and “The Menu.”
Taylor-Joy’s casting gives the project another high-profile name as it moves forward, and the Seren reveal suggests the film will reach beyond Gollum’s own tortured perspective and into the political and military corners of the Woodland Realm. The core premise, as the title suggests, centers on Gollum, but the scale of Serkis’ film—and how far it will range through Middle-earth—remains to be seen.
“The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum” opens in theaters on December 17, 2027.
Welcome to the hunt, Anya Taylor-Joy. The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum only in theaters 17 December 2027. pic.twitter.com/u7UoU9Jq3F
— Warner Bros. (@warnerbros) June 15, 2026
