Anya Taylor-Joy Stars in Dune and Lord of the Rings

Anya Taylor-Joy will appear in two major fantasy franchises within a span of 355 days, starring in Warner Bros.’ Dune: Part Three on December 18, 2026, and Warner Bros.’ The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum on December 17, 2027, reported.

Stepping into Middle-earth as a Woodland Elf

The 30-year-old actress joins the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum as an original character named Seren, a trusted operative and Elf from the Woodland Realm who works for King Thranduil, reported. Directed by Andy Serkis, the spin-off takes place during the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. A group of heroes searches for Gollum, played by Andy Serkis, to learn more about the One Ring. The cast includes Sir Ian McKellen returning as Gandalf the Grey and Lee Pace reprising his role as King Thranduil. The character’s original status leaves filmmakers free to utilize her in future projects without canon constraints, such as the planned The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past, which also takes place during The Fellowship of the Ring.

Seren operates as King Thranduil’s eyes and ears during the quest, potentially filling the narrative void left by Orlando Bloom’s Legolas, who is not currently part of the official cast for upcoming spin-offs, reported. The character’s original status leaves filmmakers free to utilize her in future projects without canon constraints, such as the planned The Lord of the Rings: Shadows of the Past, which also takes place during The Fellowship of the Ring.

Continuing the Journey on Arrakis

Before entering Middle-earth, Taylor-Joy takes a central role in Dune: Part Three, arriving in theaters on December 18, 2026, reported. She stars as Alia Atreides, the sister of Paul Atreides, after making brief cameo appearances in the previous installment. Director Denis Villeneuve brings Frank Herbert’s hard sci-fi narrative to the screen, with Alia stepping into the role of the religious figurehead for her brother’s galactic regime, taking on a larger presence than Lady Jessica, played by Rebecca Ferguson.

While Denis Villeneuve has confirmed he is finished with the Dune franchise following the third film, future installments based on Herbert’s Children of Dune could continue to feature the character. Alongside these franchise blockbusters, Taylor-Joy has recently appeared in Netflix’s Sacrifice and Apple TV’s Lucky miniseries, balancing independent television and film work with major studio releases.

noted that Taylor-Joy previously starred as Olga of the Birch Forest in Robert Eggers’ Viking vengeance epic The Northman, alongside Alexander Skarsgård, Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe, and Björk. That R-rated period fantasy, based on the Old Norse folktale Vita Amlethi recorded circa 1200 by Saxo Grammaticus, grossed $75.8 million worldwide at the box office.

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