Anya Taylor-Joy has officially joined the cast of "The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum," playing Seren, a brand-new Sindarin elf character making her debut in the upcoming film. Seren is a Sindar Elf of the Woodland Realm, described as "a trusted and lethal agent of King Thranduil."
Taylor-Joy had been rumored to be involved with the project for a while, though this is not the character most expected her to play. Many assumed she would take on Arwen, opposite Jamie Dornan as Aragorn.
The film takes place between "The Hobbit" trilogy and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, with Aragorn and Gandalf searching for Gollum to learn more about Bilbo's ring, the One Ring that threatens all of Middle-earth. A December release is consistent with franchise tradition, as all six of Peter Jackson's previous Middle-earth films opened ahead of the Christmas holiday.
The New Line and Warner Bros. film is directed by and starring Andy Serkis, who returns to play Gollum, alongside Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Elijah Wood as Frodo, and Lee Pace as King Thranduil. Taylor-Joy joins a standout group of newcomers that also includes Kate Winslet as Marigol, Jamie Dornan as Strider, and Leo Woodall as Halvard.
Seren belongs to the Sindar, also known as the Grey Elves in J.R.R. Tolkien's world, a group of Telerin Elves who settled in Beleriand during the Great Journey. Her name is the Welsh word for "star."
The casting marks Taylor-Joy's third role in one of Warner Bros.' marquee franchises, following "Furiosa" and the "Dune" movies. She will next be seen in Apple TV+'s "Lucky" and, after that, Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part Three."
Producing the film are Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Zane Weiner, reuniting the Oscar-winning team behind both the "Lord of the Rings" and "Hobbit" trilogies. Walsh and Boyens are co-writing the screenplay alongside Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou.
Each of the previous trilogies reached $2.9 billion at the worldwide box office, giving Warner Bros. strong commercial incentive to return to Middle-earth with this level of talent assembled.
A second Middle-earth film is also in development, with Stephen Colbert writing alongside Boyens and Peter McGee under the working title "The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past." That film does not yet have a director attached.
"The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum" opens worldwide on December 17, 2027.
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