Anya Taylor-Joy is officially joining the cast of The Hunt for Gollum, but she is entering the project with a surprisingly blank slate regarding the source material. While she is set to play the role of Seren, a Sindar Elf of the Woodland Realm, she recently admitted that she has not yet read the original books written by J.R.R. Tolkien. However, she is already planning to fix that gap in her pop culture knowledge.
She recently shared her plans during the Monday night premiere of the Apple TV series Lucky, Variety reported. Taylor-Joy told Marc Malkin, “I’m about to read the books now, actually.” She explained, “So as a child, I had a misguided idea that you could only be a Harry Potter fan or a Lord of the Rings fan. Nobody told me that. I just came up with that on my own. Luckily, throughout COVID, I then watched all of Lord of the Rings, and turns out you can love both, and you should.”
It is clear that she is genuinely excited about the opportunity to step into this world. When she discussed her reaction to landing the role of a trusted and lethal agent of King Thranduil, she kept things light and fun. She stated, “It’s so fun. I mean, if my tombstone can say ‘Lethal Elf,’ I feel like I did a good job on this planet. So yeah, I’m excited.”
It seems she held a strange childhood bias that prevented her from embracing the series sooner
The casting news, which was first revealed in June, places her alongside a group of newcomers including Kate Winslet, Leo Woodall, and Jamie Dornan. The project is being directed by Andy Serkis, who is also returning to his iconic role as Gollum. The film is set to bridge the gap between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, focusing on Aragorn as he tracks down the ring-obsessed creature. It is going to be a star-studded affair, as Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, and Lee Pace are all confirmed to return to their respective roles.
One of the most notable changes involves the character of Aragorn, as Jamie Dornan is stepping in to take over the role from Viggo Mortensen. While fans might be curious about how that transition is being handled, Andy Serkis has been keeping his cards close to his chest. During a recent appearance on the Happy, Sad, Confused podcast, Serkis noted, “I really, really don’t want to go into it right now because I do want to save that for, you know, further down the line.”
Despite the lack of specific details, Serkis did confirm that the team is happy with the new direction and the new cast members. He added, “I’m gonna save all discussion about casting. Other than that, we are thrilled that Jamie’s doing it. I mean, we’re, you know, we’re absolutely thrilled. And, by the way, so is Viggo.”
It sounds like this production is coming together nicely, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing how Taylor-Joy brings this new elf character to life.
Published: Jul 14, 2026 07:30 pm