Anya Taylor-Joy is officially journeying to Middle Earth. “The Queen’s Gambit” actress has been cast as an elf named Seren in The Lord of the Rings prequel, “The Hunt for Gollum”, directed by Andy Serkis, Gollum himself, for a December 2027 release.
Featuring an original story loosely based on the appendices of J.R.R. Tolkien’s seminal fantasy novel, “The Hunt for Gollum” is set to take place between the events of “The Hobbit” and “The Fellowship of The Ring” – with Gandalf and Aragorn locked in a race to find the titular creature before Sauron does.
Taylor-Joy’s character, an original creation not from the novels, is described as a “lethal Sindar Elf of the Woodland Realm and an agent of King Thranduil.” Thranduil – the deceptive elf king portrayed by Lee Pace in The Hobbits trilogy – will also appear in the film, with Pace reprising the role. Along with her announcement, Warner Bros released an illustrated poster showing her character, fully cloaked with bow at hand.
The “Mad Max: Fury Road” actress joins a starry cast that counts familiar faces like Pace, Sir Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins, and Serkis as Gollum – the latter also taking over directorial rein from Peter Jackson – as well as franchise newcomers Kate Winslet as Marigol, Jamie Dornan as Strider a.k.a. young Aragorn, and Leo Woodall as Halvard.
The Warner Bros and New Line film brings back many of the Oscar-winning creative team behind the original trilogy, with Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Zane Weiner in producing capacity. Walsh and Boyens also return to write the script, this time joined by Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou in adapting the Tolkien source material.