{"id":1993237,"date":"2026-06-16T15:29:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T12:29:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1993237"},"modified":"2026-06-16T15:29:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T12:29:51","slug":"lord-of-the-rings-fans-react-to-anya-taylor-joys-casting-in-the-hunt-for-gollum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1993237","title":{"rendered":"Lord of the Rings Fans React to Anya Taylor-Joy&#8217;s Casting in The Hunt for Gollum"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-cy=\"article-content\" class=\"jsx-2870106660 article-content page-0\">\n<section data-cy=\"article-subtitle\" class=\"article jsx-3932497636 article-section jsx-862658659 news\" data-autopogo=\"true\">\n<section class=\"article-page\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Lord of the Rings fans have given their reactions to the <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-hunt-for-gollum-adds-anya-taylor-joy-to-cast\">announcement that Anya Taylor-Joy has been cast as a new character not originated by J.R.R. Tolkien<\/a> in the upcoming spinoff film <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/movies\/lord-of-the-rings-the-hunt-for-gollum\">The Hunt for Gollum<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Taylor-Joy&#8217;s casting comes with few other details about her role, other than the fact that the Super Mario Galaxy Movie star will play a Sindar Elf of the Woodland Realm, described as &#8220;a trusted and lethal agent of King Thranduil.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Reacting to the news, many fans have commented that Seren&#8217;s role sounds similar to Tauriel \u2014 the character played by Lost and Ant-Man star Evangeline Lilly in Peter Jackson&#8217;s Hobbit movies \u2014 who was also an elven aide for Thranduil, as well as being one of that trilogy&#8217;s most controversial additions.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"jsx-313219616\"><a href=\"https:\/\/assets-prd.ignimgs.com\/2026\/06\/16\/gettyimages-2276125336-1781623164583.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image article-image article-image-full-size jsx-1809694635 jsx-2338608387\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/a><figcaption data-cy=\"caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490 jsx-479945570 article-image-caption\">Anya Taylor-Joy. Image credit: Emma McIntyre\/Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;Who the hell is Seren?&#8221; wrote PuzzleheadedBag920, succinctly summing up many fans&#8217; thoughts in a lengthy thread on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/lordoftherings\/comments\/1u6q62m\/anya_taylorjoy_has_been_cast_as_seren_in_the_lord\/\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reddit<\/a>. &#8220;The name of the Goddess of the Elves in RuneScape, funnily enough,&#8221; added another fan, Any-sao.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Perhaps it is not a surprise that The Hunt for Gollum must feature additional characters not in Tolkien&#8217;s work \u2014 simply because the movie&#8217;s entire premise is based on a period only mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Ring&#8217;s text. The film dramatizes Gollum&#8217;s whereabouts prior to Fellow of the Ring, while Gandalf, Aragorn and Sauron&#8217;s forces all seek the Ring. If you&#8217;re adding enough material to turn that into a two-hour movie, then it&#8217;s likely you&#8217;re going to need plenty of characters to do so.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;My favorite part of the three paragraphs in which Gandalf described the Hunt for Gollum was when Seren came in and did whatever she&#8217;s going to do or not do,&#8221; quipped another fan, aragonaut. &#8220;I&#8217;m so glad they got Anya Taylor Joy to interpret such an unsung hero.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><button type=\"button\" style=\"display:none\" class=\"jsx-2228525885\"><\/button><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">The Lord of the Rings Movies in (Chronological) Order<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;h3&gt;1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)&lt;\/h3&gt;\nThe only potential confusion in the Lord of the Rings-Hobbit timeline comes from the fact that The Hobbit trilogy is set 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, despite being released a decade later.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nChronologically, the story kicks off with 2012\u2019s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which sees Martin Freeman take on the role of a younger Bilbo Baggins (played by Ian Holm in the LotR trilogy). Gandalf \u2013\u00a0one of several characters whose stories run through both trilogies \u2014\u00a0recruits Bilbo to join Thorin (Richard Armitage) and Company to help reclaim the Dwarven kingdom beneath Erebor, aka The Lonely Mountain, that had been sacked by the dragon Smaug. Along the way, Bilbo encounters Gollum for the first time and comes into possession of the One Ring.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><span class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3381835873 jsx-4266531355 row-pagination-button next contained centered round large\" data-cy=\"paginate next\" title=\"Open Slideshow\"><span class=\"ign-icon right-chevron jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"right-chevron\" style=\"background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-list\" class=\"scrollbar jsx-2072772685 jsx-4243969252 images-list\"><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;h3&gt;2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)&lt;\/h3&gt;\nThorin and Company continue their journey toward The Lonely Mountain, fending off giant spiders and orcs along the way. Orlando Bloom\u2019s Legolas (another LotR staple) joins the fray alongside newcomer Tauriel (played by Ant-Man\u2019s Evangeline Lilly). While the company reaches Esgaroth, a lake-town south of Erebor, Bilbo descends into the mountain, where he encounters Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch). Smaug ultimately leaves his lair and departs for Esgaroth, setting up the conclusion of The Hobbit trilogy.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"rounded jsx-412047461 overlay progressive-image jsx-2338608387 expand\" data-cy=\"slideshow-image-overlay\">\n<div data-cy=\"element-caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490\">View 7 Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;h3&gt;3. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)&lt;\/h3&gt;\nThe conflict with Smaug is resolved and the film\u2019s titular battle ensues involving the armies of men, dwarves, elves, and two tribes of orcs. We\u2019re being extra vague here as The Battle of the Five Armies is ripe with resolution (and therefore spoilers), but prepare for an action-heavy film that ultimately leaves off where The Lord of the Rings trilogy begins: back at the Shire, 60 years later, as Gandalf visits Bilbo on his 111th birthday.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;h3&gt;4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)&lt;\/h3&gt;\nThe first Middle-earth film by release date (and the fourth chronologically) is 2001\u2019s The Fellowship of the Ring. The perspective shifts from Bilbo to his much-younger cousin Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood). Following some exposition that sets up the current state of affairs in Middle-earth, we return to Bilbo\u2019s 111th birthday celebration in the Shire.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nBilbo departs on one last adventure, leaving the One Ring with Frodo; Gandalf warns Frodo he must leave the Shire, as Sauron (the Lord of the Rings) and his evil cronies\u00a0\u2014\u00a0specifically the Nazg\u00fbl, a host of nine horse-mounted wraiths\u00a0\u2014 will be coming for the ring. Frodo departs the Shire with his best friend, Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), along with fellow hobbits Merry and Pippen.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nAfter some perilous travel and character introductions, including Aragorn (Mortensen), Legolas (Bloom), and Saruman (Christopher Lee), a plan is devised to destroy the Ring in the fires of Mordor&apos;s Mount Doom, where the Rings of Power were forged. The plan is to be carried out by a ragtag group dubbed the Fellowship of the Ring: the wizard Gandalf; the hobbits Frodo, Samwise, Merry, and Pippen; the elf Legolas; the dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies); and humans Aragorn and Boromir (Sean Bean).&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nA treacherous journey leads them to Lothl\u00f3rien, an Elven realm ruled by Cate Blanchett\u2019s Galadriel, who also appears throughout The Hobbit trilogy and is one of the main protagonists of the new Amazon series (this younger version of Galadriel is played by Morfydd Clark). Galadriel advises Frodo, and he decides to continue his journey to Mordor without the others, bringing only his most trusted confidant, Sam.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;h3&gt;5. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)&lt;\/h3&gt;\nFrodo and Sam take on a third, reluctant travel companion in Gollum (voiced by Andy Serkis), a hobbit long ago corrupted by the power of the One Ring. The trio makes it to the outskirts of Mordor, though are stalled by an unforeseen intervention. The other members of the Fellowship embark on a rescue mission; Gandalf takes a new form; and the trilogy\u2019s first epic battle occurs in the gorge of Helm\u2019s Deep.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;h3&gt;6. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)&lt;\/h3&gt;\nAs with The Battle of the Five Armies, The Return of the King\u2019s plot is essentially all spoilers, so we\u2019ll again highlight only the broadest story beats. Gollum, exploiting the influence of the Ring, pits Frodo against Sam and leads the former into the lair of a deadly foe. The other members of the Fellowship, meanwhile, partake in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields \u2014 a massive, final fight against the dark forces of Sauron.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nFrodo and Sam ultimately enter Mordor in disguise and, with help from the other members of the Fellowship, see the original plan through. With the journey concluded, we enter the Fourth Age of Middle-earth and are treated to a bittersweet finale.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;I absolutely adore Anya as an actress so this isn&#8217;t directed at her as a person,&#8221; AnonyMcnonymous began, &#8220;but I really wish they would stop making up s*** and adding it to the story. Didn&#8217;t they learn anything from that train wreck that happened in the last movies they made about Bilbo&#8217;s journey?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;New elf character worked so well in The Hobbit movies, why not run it back?&#8221; commented jayhawk8.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;As far as I&#8217;m concerned they made three films in the early aughts and then Warner Bros put the franchise on the boat to Valinor,&#8221; claimed ASCII_Princess.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Other Tolkien fans have criticized Seren&#8217;s name, which appears to have originated from the real-world language of Welsh.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-2896921488 video jsx-2008855984 aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9\">\n<div class=\"badge jsx-1349606671 jsx-3647116352\"><span class=\"ign-icon icon-play jsx-2750866048 jsx-1044454891\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"false\" data-cy=\"icon-play\" aria-label=\"Play\" style=\"background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;Seren means &#8216;star&#8217; in Welsh,&#8221; revealed No_Imagination5705. &#8220;Welsh and Finnish were linguistic sources of inspiration for Tolkien when he developed Quenya and Sindarin (the languages of the Elves). Call me pedantic, but that does not make Welsh canon, nor does the name [make] etymological sense in the fiction. Nearly all names in Tolkien&#8217;s works have meaning, and with so many Tolkien scholars today, why not derive a Quenya or Sindarin name? <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;Gil means &#8216;Star-light&#8217;, Elen &#8216;Star&#8217;,&#8221; they continued. &#8220;[So you could have] Elenya, Eleneth, Eleniel, Elenw\u00eb, Gilwen, Eleniss\u00eb, Eleriel, Elenind\u00eb, Giliel, Elenwen. There&#8217;s literally so many options they could&#8217;ve chosen that made sense. Seren doesn&#8217;t.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will bring Taylor-Joy to Middle-earth when the film premieres December 17, 2027. For more while we wait for updates, you can read about <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/peter-jackson-compares-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-hunt-for-gollum-to-joaquin-phoenixs-joker-you-have-to-get-inside-his-head\"><u>why Jackson compared the prequel movie to Joaquin Phoeni<\/u>x\u2019s Joker<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"accent-divider\" class=\"jsx-3449795453 divider jsx-2786329600\"><\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Image credit: Emma McIntyre\/Getty Images.<\/em><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Tom Phillips is IGN&#8217;s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/tomphillipseg.bsky.social\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@tomphillipseg.bsky.social<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n<p><span class=\"stack jsx-1475529924\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-2155806329 adunit-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"jsx-2155806329 bobble bobble-1 pogocnt pg-article\">\n<div data-mix-name=\"secondaryMedrec\" data-pos=\"1\" data-pogo-hide=\"1\" class=\"jsx-343126785 pogo-slot\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/div>\n<section class=\"article-page\">\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Lord of the Rings fans have given their reactions to the <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-hunt-for-gollum-adds-anya-taylor-joy-to-cast\">announcement that Anya Taylor-Joy has been cast as a new character not originated by J.R.R. Tolkien<\/a> in the upcoming spinoff film <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/movies\/lord-of-the-rings-the-hunt-for-gollum\">The Hunt for Gollum<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Taylor-Joy&#8217;s casting comes with few other details about her role, other than the fact that the Super Mario Galaxy Movie star will play a Sindar Elf of the Woodland Realm, described as &#8220;a trusted and lethal agent of King Thranduil.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Reacting to the news, many fans have commented that Seren&#8217;s role sounds similar to Tauriel \u2014 the character played by Lost and Ant-Man star Evangeline Lilly in Peter Jackson&#8217;s Hobbit movies \u2014 who was also an elven aide for Thranduil, as well as being one of that trilogy&#8217;s most controversial additions.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"jsx-313219616\"><a href=\"https:\/\/assets-prd.ignimgs.com\/2026\/06\/16\/gettyimages-2276125336-1781623164583.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt aria-hidden=\"true\" role=\"presentation\" class=\"progressive-image article-image article-image-full-size jsx-1809694635 jsx-2338608387\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/a><figcaption data-cy=\"caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490 jsx-479945570 article-image-caption\">Anya Taylor-Joy. Image credit: Emma McIntyre\/Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;Who the hell is Seren?&#8221; wrote PuzzleheadedBag920, succinctly summing up many fans&#8217; thoughts in a lengthy thread on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/lordoftherings\/comments\/1u6q62m\/anya_taylorjoy_has_been_cast_as_seren_in_the_lord\/\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reddit<\/a>. &#8220;The name of the Goddess of the Elves in RuneScape, funnily enough,&#8221; added another fan, Any-sao.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Perhaps it is not a surprise that The Hunt for Gollum must feature additional characters not in Tolkien&#8217;s work \u2014 simply because the movie&#8217;s entire premise is based on a period only mentioned briefly in The Lord of the Ring&#8217;s text. The film dramatizes Gollum&#8217;s whereabouts prior to Fellow of the Ring, while Gandalf, Aragorn and Sauron&#8217;s forces all seek the Ring. If you&#8217;re adding enough material to turn that into a two-hour movie, then it&#8217;s likely you&#8217;re going to need plenty of characters to do so.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;My favorite part of the three paragraphs in which Gandalf described the Hunt for Gollum was when Seren came in and did whatever she&#8217;s going to do or not do,&#8221; quipped another fan, aragonaut. &#8220;I&#8217;m so glad they got Anya Taylor Joy to interpret such an unsung hero.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><button type=\"button\" style=\"display:none\" class=\"jsx-2228525885\"><\/button><span data-cy=\"slideshow-view-trigger\"><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-preview\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 slideshow-preview\">\n<h3 class=\"title5 jsx-62124236 jsx-1085005187\" data-cy=\"slideshow-preview-title\">The Lord of the Rings Movies in (Chronological) Order<\/h3>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-container\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 images-container\"><button type=\"button\" data-cy=\"hero-image\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 hero-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;h3&gt;1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)&lt;\/h3&gt;\nThe only potential confusion in the Lord of the Rings-Hobbit timeline comes from the fact that The Hobbit trilogy is set 60 years before The Lord of the Rings, despite being released a decade later.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nChronologically, the story kicks off with 2012\u2019s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which sees Martin Freeman take on the role of a younger Bilbo Baggins (played by Ian Holm in the LotR trilogy). Gandalf \u2013\u00a0one of several characters whose stories run through both trilogies \u2014\u00a0recruits Bilbo to join Thorin (Richard Armitage) and Company to help reclaim the Dwarven kingdom beneath Erebor, aka The Lonely Mountain, that had been sacked by the dragon Smaug. Along the way, Bilbo encounters Gollum for the first time and comes into possession of the One Ring.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><span class=\"button-text jsx-729543028 button button--primary jsx-3381835873 jsx-4266531355 row-pagination-button next contained centered round large\" data-cy=\"paginate next\" title=\"Open Slideshow\"><span class=\"ign-icon right-chevron jsx-2750866048 jsx-2919720488\" role=\"presentation\" aria-hidden=\"true\" data-cy=\"right-chevron\" style=\"background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"slideshow-images-list\" class=\"scrollbar jsx-2072772685 jsx-4243969252 images-list\"><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;h3&gt;2. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)&lt;\/h3&gt;\nThorin and Company continue their journey toward The Lonely Mountain, fending off giant spiders and orcs along the way. Orlando Bloom\u2019s Legolas (another LotR staple) joins the fray alongside newcomer Tauriel (played by Ant-Man\u2019s Evangeline Lilly). While the company reaches Esgaroth, a lake-town south of Erebor, Bilbo descends into the mountain, where he encounters Smaug (voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch). Smaug ultimately leaves his lair and departs for Esgaroth, setting up the conclusion of The Hobbit trilogy.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"rounded jsx-412047461 overlay progressive-image jsx-2338608387 expand\" data-cy=\"slideshow-image-overlay\">\n<div data-cy=\"element-caption\" class=\"caption jsx-1762799490\">View 7 Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;h3&gt;3. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)&lt;\/h3&gt;\nThe conflict with Smaug is resolved and the film\u2019s titular battle ensues involving the armies of men, dwarves, elves, and two tribes of orcs. We\u2019re being extra vague here as The Battle of the Five Armies is ripe with resolution (and therefore spoilers), but prepare for an action-heavy film that ultimately leaves off where The Lord of the Rings trilogy begins: back at the Shire, 60 years later, as Gandalf visits Bilbo on his 111th birthday.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;h3&gt;4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)&lt;\/h3&gt;\nThe first Middle-earth film by release date (and the fourth chronologically) is 2001\u2019s The Fellowship of the Ring. The perspective shifts from Bilbo to his much-younger cousin Frodo Baggins (Elijah Wood). Following some exposition that sets up the current state of affairs in Middle-earth, we return to Bilbo\u2019s 111th birthday celebration in the Shire.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nBilbo departs on one last adventure, leaving the One Ring with Frodo; Gandalf warns Frodo he must leave the Shire, as Sauron (the Lord of the Rings) and his evil cronies\u00a0\u2014\u00a0specifically the Nazg\u00fbl, a host of nine horse-mounted wraiths\u00a0\u2014 will be coming for the ring. Frodo departs the Shire with his best friend, Samwise Gamgee (Sean Astin), along with fellow hobbits Merry and Pippen.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nAfter some perilous travel and character introductions, including Aragorn (Mortensen), Legolas (Bloom), and Saruman (Christopher Lee), a plan is devised to destroy the Ring in the fires of Mordor&apos;s Mount Doom, where the Rings of Power were forged. The plan is to be carried out by a ragtag group dubbed the Fellowship of the Ring: the wizard Gandalf; the hobbits Frodo, Samwise, Merry, and Pippen; the elf Legolas; the dwarf Gimli (John Rhys-Davies); and humans Aragorn and Boromir (Sean Bean).&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nA treacherous journey leads them to Lothl\u00f3rien, an Elven realm ruled by Cate Blanchett\u2019s Galadriel, who also appears throughout The Hobbit trilogy and is one of the main protagonists of the new Amazon series (this younger version of Galadriel is played by Morfydd Clark). Galadriel advises Frodo, and he decides to continue his journey to Mordor without the others, bringing only his most trusted confidant, Sam.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;h3&gt;5. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)&lt;\/h3&gt;\nFrodo and Sam take on a third, reluctant travel companion in Gollum (voiced by Andy Serkis), a hobbit long ago corrupted by the power of the One Ring. The trio makes it to the outskirts of Mordor, though are stalled by an unforeseen intervention. The other members of the Fellowship embark on a rescue mission; Gandalf takes a new form; and the trilogy\u2019s first epic battle occurs in the gorge of Helm\u2019s Deep.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><button data-cy=\"gallery-image\" type=\"button\" aria-label=\"Open Slideshow\" class=\"jsx-1711207865 gallery-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"&lt;h3&gt;6. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)&lt;\/h3&gt;\nAs with The Battle of the Five Armies, The Return of the King\u2019s plot is essentially all spoilers, so we\u2019ll again highlight only the broadest story beats. Gollum, exploiting the influence of the Ring, pits Frodo against Sam and leads the former into the lair of a deadly foe. The other members of the Fellowship, meanwhile, partake in the Battle of the Pelennor Fields \u2014 a massive, final fight against the dark forces of Sauron.&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;\nFrodo and Sam ultimately enter Mordor in disguise and, with help from the other members of the Fellowship, see the original plan through. With the journey concluded, we enter the Fourth Age of Middle-earth and are treated to a bittersweet finale.\" class=\"progressive-image jsx-2896921488 image aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9 jsx-2605834259 jsx-2338608387 hover-opacity\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" data-cy=\"progressive-image\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;I absolutely adore Anya as an actress so this isn&#8217;t directed at her as a person,&#8221; AnonyMcnonymous began, &#8220;but I really wish they would stop making up s*** and adding it to the story. Didn&#8217;t they learn anything from that train wreck that happened in the last movies they made about Bilbo&#8217;s journey?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;New elf character worked so well in The Hobbit movies, why not run it back?&#8221; commented jayhawk8.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;As far as I&#8217;m concerned they made three films in the early aughts and then Warner Bros put the franchise on the boat to Valinor,&#8221; claimed ASCII_Princess.<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">Other Tolkien fans have criticized Seren&#8217;s name, which appears to have originated from the real-world language of Welsh.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jsx-2896921488 video jsx-2008855984 aspect-ratio aspect-ratio-16-9\">\n<div class=\"badge jsx-1349606671 jsx-3647116352\"><span class=\"ign-icon icon-play jsx-2750866048 jsx-1044454891\" role=\"img\" aria-hidden=\"false\" data-cy=\"icon-play\" aria-label=\"Play\" style=\"background:currentColor\"><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;Seren means &#8216;star&#8217; in Welsh,&#8221; revealed No_Imagination5705. &#8220;Welsh and Finnish were linguistic sources of inspiration for Tolkien when he developed Quenya and Sindarin (the languages of the Elves). Call me pedantic, but that does not make Welsh canon, nor does the name [make] etymological sense in the fiction. Nearly all names in Tolkien&#8217;s works have meaning, and with so many Tolkien scholars today, why not derive a Quenya or Sindarin name? <\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">&#8220;Gil means &#8216;Star-light&#8217;, Elen &#8216;Star&#8217;,&#8221; they continued. &#8220;[So you could have] Elenya, Eleneth, Eleniel, Elenw\u00eb, Gilwen, Eleniss\u00eb, Eleriel, Elenind\u00eb, Giliel, Elenwen. There&#8217;s literally so many options they could&#8217;ve chosen that made sense. Seren doesn&#8217;t.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\">The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum will bring Taylor-Joy to Middle-earth when the film premieres December 17, 2027. For more while we wait for updates, you can read about <a class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ign.com\/articles\/peter-jackson-compares-the-lord-of-the-rings-the-hunt-for-gollum-to-joaquin-phoenixs-joker-you-have-to-get-inside-his-head\"><u>why Jackson compared the prequel movie to Joaquin Phoeni<\/u>x\u2019s Joker<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div data-cy=\"accent-divider\" class=\"jsx-3449795453 divider jsx-2786329600\"><\/div>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Image credit: Emma McIntyre\/Getty Images.<\/em><\/p>\n<p data-cy=\"paragraph\" class=\"paragraph jsx-2269604527\"><em>Tom Phillips is IGN&#8217;s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/tomphillipseg.bsky.social\" class=\"link jsx-1337145738 jsx-3925284146 underlined\" data-cy=\"styled-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@tomphillipseg.bsky.social<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lord of the Rings fans have given their reactions to the announcement that Anya Taylor-Joy has been cast as a new character not originated by J.R.R. Tolkien in the upcoming spinoff film The Hunt for Gollum. Taylor-Joy&#8217;s casting comes with few other details about her role, other than the fact that the Super Mario Galaxy [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,243],"class_list":["post-1993237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-ign-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1993237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1993237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1993237\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1993237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1993237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1993237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}