Published Jun 16, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT
Faith Roswell is a Senior Writer on Screen Rant's Classic TV team. Since earning her degree in Creative Writing over a decade ago, Faith has written articles on film and TV from a variety of different angles. Faith now combines her knowledge of psychology with her love of monster movies to give more insight into what makes the best ones.
You may have read her Screen Rant lists and features covering horror, sci-fi, and fantasy, or read her Amazon Top 10 book, "Movie Monsters of the Deep."
Faith has had an extensive career as a writer, appearing on BBC live radio, researching true crime for Rotten Mango podcast, and writing for publications including Mental Floss, Atlas Obscura, and The Daily Jaws before beginning here at Screen Rant.
Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings still outshines every other entry in the franchise, but the reaction to the upcoming movie The Hunt for Gollum appeared cautiously optimistic. While some have been concerned about The Lord of the Rings movies and TV shows changing canon details, The Hunt for Gollum includes some reassuringly familiar faces. The movie is directed by Andy Serkis, who is reprising his role as Gollum, and stars original actors including Ian McKellen as Gandalf. However, the franchise is going through some major changes and The Lord of the Rings is officially switching casts in 2027.
The recasting of some of the best characters in The Lord of the Rings movies was always going to feel like the end of an era for movie fans, but this was necessary due to actors aging, as The Hunt for Gollum follows their younger versions. Seeing Aragorn played by Jamie Dornan might feel jarring at first, but this change in cast is much less controversial than another unpopular move both The Hobbit and The Hunt for Gollum have used, and that is introducing entirely new characters.
One of these was revealed when the franchise's official social media announced that Anya Taylor-Joy has joined the Lord of the Rings franchise as Seren, a main character in The Hunt for Gollum. Variety confirmed that Taylor-Joy is playing a Sindar Elf of the Woodland Realm, described as “a trusted and lethal agent of King Thranduil.” In J.R.R. Tolkien's expansive world, Sindar means "Grey people," and Sindar Elves are considered both the fairest and wisest of the Lord of the Rings Elf types. Anya Taylor-Joy's ethereal look lends itself to high fantasy, but her casting has divided fans.
Why Anya Taylor-Joy's Casting Has Divided Lord Of The Rings' Fans
Image courtesy of Everett CollectionAny new character added to J.R.R. Tolkien's lore is going to be heavily scrutinized, with many fans and Tolkien scholars expressing their wish for adaptations that are as faithful to the source material as possible. However, wishing to respect the integrity of the author's work, the Tolkien estate still owns the rights to the vast majority of his books like The Silmarillion, which means that many characters are off-limits. This has meant that in order to expand the world of Middle Earth, creators are focusing on small moments and building stories around them.
Aragorn told the council that he had hunted for Gollum, but canonically claimed that the search was uneventful, and the movie is set to retcon this. Adding entire stories to Middle Earth's lore has been unpopular, and The Hobbit made many questionable changes from the book, with Tauriel being the worst. First appearing as the Captain of Mirkwood's Elven guard, she became a love interest for Kili. With Seren being another Elf written for a movie, Tolkien fans have expressed concern that she will be another Tauriel.
While the name does not have an Elvish translation, Seren means "star" in Welsh, which inspired Tolkien's Elvish language.
That said, it is unlikely that Seren will be a love interest for Aragorn, but as he and Gandalf have an amicable relationship with the Sindar Elves, it is possible that she will join the hunt on behalf of the Elves, who eventually keep Gollum captive according to Middle Earth lore. Anya Taylor-Joy's best movies prove that she excels at playing outwardly fragile-looking characters who possess immense personal strength, and The Queen's Gambit highlights her skill at conveying emotion through subtlety. Seren may be dividing fans, but most appear to agree that Taylor-Joy is perfectly suited to play her.
How Seren Fits Into Lord Of The Rings Lore
As Seren is not a canon character, there has been very little confirmed about what her role will be in the movie, which will be produced by Peter Jackson. The Hunt for Gollum will surely need to give a reason for Aragorn reporting the search as largely uneventful, which could be tied to something that happens to Seren. As she does not appear in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, we can infer a few possibilities about her fate.
We have not yet seen the major antagonists for the movie, and it is possible that Seren could die at the hands of one of them. She could also go to the Undying Lands. One thing that Tolkien's lore has occasionally changed is the origin of Orcs, with The Lord of the Rings lore stating that they were corrupted Elves, with later works offering different explanations. With so little source material to work from, Serkis could do something truly unexpected with the character, and an Orcish twist might be more welcome than another non-canon Lord of the Rings love story.
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