Furiosa and The Queen’s Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy has joined the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum as an elf named Seren.
Warner Bros. announced the news today, confirming she’ll play a new character in the upcoming prequel. A press release for the film describes Seren as “a Sindar Elf of the Woodland Realm” and “a trusted and lethal agent of King Thranduil (Lee Pace).”
Taylor-Joy joins an already stacked cast of actors that includes both Middle-earth newcomers and veterans. You can see a The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum teaser video for Seren below.
Taylor-Joy has spent the last few years playing parts in some of the biggest franchises film has to offer. Since her breakout role in Robert Eggers’ The Witch, she’s gone on to be featured as Princess Peach in The Super Mario Bros. Movie and its Mario Galaxy sequel, Furiosa in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, and she’s set to show up in Dune: Part 3 following a small role in Part 2. She also appeared in X-Men spin-off The New Mutants in 2020, and was featured as Gina Gray in Peaky Blinders.
There’s no denying that it’s another big get for The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which is already swimming in big names. Andy Serkis, who is also directing the film, will reprise his role as Smeagol/Gollum, with Ian McKellen back as Gandalf and Elijah Wood returning as Frodo Baggins. Jamie Dornan will take over for Viggo Mortensen as a younger Strider, with Kate Winslet on board as Marigol, and Pace as Thranduil.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum was announced in 2024 as a prequel that’s set to explore events that take place between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring. Its screenplay is written by Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens, as well as Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou. Walsh and Boyens are also producing, as are Zane Weiner, Ken Kamins, Jonathan Cavendish, and Serkis. Original Lord of the Rings trilogy director Peter Jackson is also producing.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will bring Taylor-Joy to Middle-earth as Seren when the film premieres December 17, 2027. For more while we wait for updates, you can read about why Jackson compared the prequel movie to Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker.
Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
