We’re not Furiosa about this news. Anya Taylor-Joy has been added to the all-star cast of The Hunt for Gollum, the new Lord of the Rings movie that Andy Serkis is directing and starring in as the titular One Ring-coveting creature.
Joy will be playing an elven warrior named Seren, who joins in the hunt for Gollum. If you don’t remember that particular character from J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels, that’s because she doesn’t grace those pages. Hailing from Woodland Realm’s Sindar Elf clan, Seren is described as “a trusted and lethal agent of King Thranduil.”
For the record, Thranduil is a Middle-earth citizen you have met before. Played by Lee Pace in Peter Jackson’s Hobbit films, he was instrumental in ensuring victory in the climactic Battle of Five Armies — and is the father of Legolas, Orlando Bloom’s shield-surfing elf we’ve followed since The Fellowship of the Ring.
Serkis previously confirmed that the film will take place alongside the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. After Viggo Mortensen declined to reprise his role as the realm’s returning king, Aragorn, Jamie Dornan will take up his sword instead.
Here’s everything we know so far about The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
The Cast
Just ahead of the start of production, Warner Bros. announced the primary cast for The Hunt for Gollum at CinemaCon and online via a social media post.
The biggest news out of the post had to be the casting of Dornan as “Christian Grey” aka Strider aka Aragorn. There had been speculation in the weeks leading up to the announcement, some of which involved Leo Woodall. While The White Lotus actor is a part of the cast, he is playing someone other than the true king of Gondor. Woodall will take on the role of Halvard, a character who has not previously appeared in any Tolkien lore.
Also joining the cast is Academy Award winner Kate Winslet in the role of Marigol. Judging by the “-gol” at the end of her name, she is likely a relative of Sméagol, the River Folk member who killed his cousin Deagol in order to possess the One Ring and transformed in the titular creature Gollum.
Back in the fold from The Lord of the Rings are Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins and Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey. They’ll be joined by veteran of The Hobbit trilogy, Lee Pace as the elfin lord of Mirkwood forrest Thranduil.
The Story
In an interview with Empire, producer Philippa Boyens indicated that the bulk of the story takes place concurrently with the first half of The Fellowship of the Ring. “[It] falls after the birthday party of Bilbo and before the Mines Of Moria,” she revealed. “It’s a specific chunk of incredible untold story, told through the perspective of this incredible creature.” That means that audiences will be catching Frodo early on in his journey and that McKellen will be playing Gandalf the Grey as opposed to Gandalf the White — the version of the character that returns to Middle-earth following his mid-movie demise in the mines.
The Release Date
The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will open in theaters on Dec. 17, 2027.
The Awards History
This post was originally published on Aug. 18, 2025; it was updated April 3 with the Mortensen recasting news; and on June 16 with Taylor-Joy’s casting
