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The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum – Anya Taylor-Joy Cast

Anya Taylor-Joy has joined the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. The new film in Middle-earth will be released in theaters on December 17, 2027.

Published Mon, 15 Jun 2026 15:28:09 -0500

by Kaitlyn Booth

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Article Summary

Anya Taylor-Joy joins The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, with Warner Bros. confirming she will play Seren.
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is set for a December 17, 2027 theatrical release in Middle-earth.
Reports say Kate Winslet, Jamie Dornan, and Leo Woodall have joined, with Ian McKellen and Elijah Wood returning.
Andy Serkis directs and stars as Gollum in the first of two new live-action Lord of the Rings movies from Warner Bros.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum has added another cast member, and we have what appear to be a few more possible confirmations of who is playing what role. It's not at all surprising that more Lord of the Rings movies were eventually made, especially with the success of the TV show, and even when the animated film underperformed, established IP is established IP. This series shows the best and worst of storytelling in the age of blockbuster filmmaking. You get the original triloguy, which basically rewrote the book, and The Hobbit trilogy, which seemed to encapulate every capitalistic and bad decision studio executives push creatives to make.

So far, things are trending in the right direction with these two new movies, mostly because they are both self-contained stories (as far as we know). Andy Serkis returning not only to star but also to direct was the first indication that people's heads were on straight. The Hunt for Gollum has been filling out its cast this year, and Anya Taylor-Joy is the latest to join, as confirmed by Warner Bros. in a short video posted to social media. The post also confirms that Taylor-Joy is set to play Seren.

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

Unless I missed them, and please correct me if I'm wrong, but this appears to be the first one of these that Warner Bros. has shared. Sources like The Hollywood Reporter are reporting that Kate Winslet is playing Marigol, Jamie Dornan is playing Strider, and Leo Woodall is playing Halvard. Meanwhile, franchise MVPs Ian McKleen and Elijah Wood are set to return as Gandalf and Frodo, respectively, while Lee Pace as Thranduil, one of the biggest bright spots in The Hobbit films, is also set to return.

Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, and Zane Weiner are producing. Ken Kamins, Serkis, and Jonathan Cavendish of The Imaginarium are executive producing. Walsh and Boyens penned the screenplay, with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou.

: LOS ANGELES – FEB 3: Anya Taylor-Joy at the Apple TV Press Day at the Barker Hanger on February 3, 2026 in Santa Monica, CA. Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

: L-R: © 2003 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures. | DECEMBER 9, 2014: Andy Serkis at the Los Angeles premiere of his movie "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies" at the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood. Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com | Oulu, Finland, 4.14.2019 The Lord Of The Rings book collection. Rare first edition Books.. Editorial credit: Eeli Purola / Shutterstock.com

The Hunt for Gollum Is The First Of Two New Live-Action LOTR Films

We first learned that franchise MVP Serkis would direct and star in The Hunt for Gollum, with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens writing the screenplay, and Walsh, Boyens, and Peter Jackson are producing along with Zane Weiner back in May 2024. The film will be executive-produced by Ken Kamins, with Serkis and The Imaginarium's Jonathan Cavendish. In October 2024, Boyens revealed when the film will take place, "It's quite an intense story, which falls after the birthday party of Bilbo and before the Mines Of Moria. It's a specific chunk of incredible untold story, told through the perspective of this incredible creature."

That same interview was when it was cleared up that The Hunt for Gollum is not two films, but they are working on two different live-action Lord of the Rings movies, and The Hunt for Gollum is one of them. "I can tell you definitively it isn't two films!" she says. "That was a genuine misunderstanding that happened because we've begun to work, conceptually, on two different live-action films. The first being The Hunt For Gollum, the second one still to be confirmed."

In May 2025, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum (it was unclear whether or not this was a working title) was dated for December 17, 2027. Several familiar and new faces have been confirmed to return for this film, including Ian McKellen as Gandalf. The story will reportedly follow "Aragorn and Gandalf searching for Gollum to learn more information about Bilbo's ring, the One Ring that threatens all of Middle-earth."

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