The cast of 2027's next Lord of the Rings live-action adventure continues to grow, and its latest addition further adds to the franchise's connection to Marvel. Set for release on December 17, 2027, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum takes place in the years between The Hobbit and The Fellowship of the Ring, exploring a previously untold chapter of Middle-earth history. The fantasy film reunites many of the creative forces behind the original trilogy, while also bringing back several familiar faces from both the Lord of the Rings and Marvel worlds.
The biggest new addition to The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is Anya Taylor-Joy, who Warner Bros. officially announced has joined the cast as Seren.
While details about Seren remain under wraps, Taylor-Joy's involvement immediately adds another major star to the film's growing ensemble. The 30-year-old actress is set for two major WB back-to-back releases in December, as she's playing Alia Atreides in Dune: Part Three.
She also happens to be the fourth actor in the new Lord of the Rings movie with ties to Marvel, having previously portrayed Illyana Rasputin, better known as Magik, in 2020's The New Mutants.
Although The New Mutants arrived during a turbulent period for Fox's X-Men franchise (and the entire Hollywood industry) and failed to make much of a cultural impact, Taylor-Joy's performance as Magik was widely regarded as one of the film's highlights.
Since then, she has become one of Hollywood's most sought-after stars thanks to projects like The Queen's Gambit, Furiosa, and The Menu. Her addition gives The Hunt for Gollum another recognizable name as Warner Bros. continues building anticipation for the long-awaited return to Middle-earth on the big screen.
Taylor-Joy joins several returning Lord of the Rings veterans who also have Marvel histories of their own. Andy Serkis is back as Gollum, arguably the character most synonymous with the franchise outside of Frodo and Gandalf.
Serkis is also directing The Hunt for Gollum, placing one of the original trilogy's most important performers in charge of the next chapter.
Marvel fans know him for playing Ulysses Klaue in both Avengers: Age of Ultron and Black Panther, where he became one of the MCU's more memorable secondary villains before meeting his demise at the hands of Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan).
Sir Ian McKellen is likewise returning as Gandalf the Grey, bringing one of Middle-earth's most beloved characters back to the big screen in 2027.
His Marvel connection might be the most iconic. McKellen jumped between filming the X-Men and The Lord of the Rings throughout the early 2000s.
McKellen's time as Magneto is not over either, as he will reprise the role in Avengers: Doomsday, making him one of the rare actors set to simultaneously revisit two of his most iconic blockbuster characters.
Lee Pace rounds out the film's ex-Marvel group. The actor is returning as Thranduil, the Elvenking introduced in The Hobbit trilogy.
Around the same time he was captivating audiences as the ruler of Mirkwood, Pace also played Ronan the Accuser in Guardians of the Galaxy and later reprised the role in 2019's Captain Marvel.
While Ronan never became one of the MCU's most celebrated villains, some fans would still love to see him get his own prequel story told.
Outside of the Marvel connections, The Hunt for Gollum is also bringing back another fan favorite from the original trilogy. Elijah Wood has officially returned as Frodo Baggins despite the film taking place before many of the events audiences associate with his character.
Wood recently fueled excitement for the project by discussing an apparent plot leak, acknowledging reports that the movie will largely follow Gollum's journey after Bilbo acquires the One Ring.
Everything to Know About 2027's Lord of the Rings Movie
According to the rumored story details, The Hunt for Gollum will explore both Gollum and a younger version of Smeagol while also chronicling the efforts of Gandalf and Aragorn to track him down before Sauron's forces can extract crucial information about the Ring's whereabouts.
Wood's response suggests that the circulating premise is at least directionally accurate:
"It's essentially following Gollum, and it's a little bit of the backstory of Smeagol, and understanding a little bit more deeply where he came from..."
The ensemble also introduces several major newcomers to Middle-earth, in addition to Taylor-Joy's Seren. Jamie Dornan is reportedly stepping into the role of Aragorn, replacing Viggo Mortensen for this earlier chapter in the character's life.
Meanwhile, Kate Winslet has joined the cast as a mysterious new character, Marigol, one of several original creations introduced specifically for the film.
Between the return of Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, and Philippa Boyens behind the scenes, the comeback of iconic characters from the original films, and the addition of major stars like Taylor-Joy, Dornan, and Winslet, The Hunt for Gollum seems set for a massive return to theaters for Middle-earth fans.
Similar to Warner Bros.' direct competition against Avengers: Doomsday with Dune: Part Three, The Hunt for Gollum is set to release the same day as Avengers: Secret Wars.
