SUPER MARIO BROS Actress Joins the HUNT FOR GOLLUM Cast

Published: June 18, 2026

By India McCarty

Anya Taylor-Joy is the latest Hollywood star confirmed for the cast of THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM.

“The Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee is set to play the role of Seren, a Sindar Elf of the Woodland Realm, who is described as ‘a trusted and lethal agent of King Thranduil,’” Variety reported.

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Taylor-Joy joins a cast that includes Andy Serkis (directing, as well as starring as Gollum), Ian McKellen (Gandalf), Elijah Wood (Frodo), Lee Pace (King Thranduil), Kate Winslet (Marigol), Jamie Dornan (Strider) and Leo Woodall (Halvard).

THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM takes place between Bilbo Baggins’ 111th birthday party and the events in the Mines of Moria, both of which are seen in THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING. Gandalf, afraid that Gollum might reveal the One Ring’s location to the Dark Lord Sauron, sends Aragorn on a mission to track him down.

“It’s quite an intense story,” one of the movie’s writers, Philippa Boyens, told Empire in 2024. “It’s a specific chunk of incredible untold story, told through the perspective of this incredible creature.”

In a recent appearance on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, Serkis shared that he is excited to bring Tolkien’s “most complex character” to the big screen in a new adventure.

“This is a very much more intimate story and a deep dive and psychological investigation into a character who has become, you know, sort of absorbed into public consciousness in a rather large way. So, it sort of feels like there is a real relevance,” he continued. “I think there’s still a wealth of stuff to be got out of the character, and it sits very neatly between the HOBBIT trilogy and the LORD OF THE RINGS. And it is a great [way], I think, of bringing audiences back into this world.”

In another interview with Mashable, Serkis made it clear THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM is “not just a nostalgia film,” but a “different and unique” story.

“The joy of [THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM] is that it’s entirely its own story, but it fits perfectly into the lore, the tone, the feel of the Middle-earth films that were created by Peter Jackson 25 years ago,” he added.

The next movie in the franchise, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: SHADOW OF THE PAST, will be written by Boyens, Stephen Colbert and Peter McGee.

THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM is expected to hit theaters Dec. 17, 2027.

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