Anya Taylor-Joy has become the latest cast member to join director-actor Andy Serkis' The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt For Gollum, the film's makers announced earlier this Tuesday. Taylor-Joy is set to play a character named Seren in the film, headlined and directed by Serkis. A Sindar Elf of the Woodland Realm, the character has officially been termed "a trusted and lethal agent of King Thranduil." As reported earlier, the film sees Serkis reprising the titular role after appearances in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. It also stars Ian McKellen as Gandalf, Kate Winslet as Marigol, Lee Pace as King Thranduil, Elijah Wood as Frodo, Leo Woodall as Halvard, and Jamie Dornan as Strider.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt For Gollum brings Anya Taylor-Joy back together with distributor Warner Bros Pictures after the Mad Max: Fury Road prequel, Furiosa, and the Dune franchise.

Peter Jackson's Middle-earth franchise comprises three Lord of the Rings and as many Hobbit films, which earned around $6 billion from theatres around the world, according to reports. With The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt For Gollum, the makers aim to keep up this cinematic legacy.

It is set to explore the years-long search for Gollum that precede the events of 2001's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, which started Peter Jackson's epic franchise. The film is produced by Jackson, alongside Philippa Boyens, Zane Weiner, and Fran Walsh. Boyens and Walsh, the writers of Jackson's trilogy, join Arty Papageorgiou and Phoebe Gittins in bringing JRR Tolkien's literary source material to the big screen.

Boyens is also attached to the next franchise instalment, reportedly titled The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past, alongside co-writers Peter McGee and Stephen Colbert. Meanwhile, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt For Gollum is set to release in theatres on December 17 next year.