I can't believe it, but it's been almost six years since many of us learned who Anya Taylor-Joy was as she broke big in Netflix's The Queen’s Gambit. Since then, the actress has become a full-blown movie star, between starring in a ton of horror films, landing the voice of Princess Peach and joining Dune. This week she’s back on the small screen; however, returning to the small screen in Lucky. This time, the notoriety she's built up since the Netflix hit definitely shows. If you liked The Queen’s Gambit, I’d gamble you’re going to like her new series. It’s also about a young woman who’s especially gifted at one thing. (No, not chess.) Anya Taylor-Joy's new series is about the daughter of a grifter who’s been expertly trained him in the art of a good con since childhood. The show’s creator, Jonathan Tropper, said this to CinemaBlend about how the return to TV came about. Anya was there before we were there, so I say we didn't cast her, she cast us. Reese [Witherspoon] had found the book and put it in [Reese’s Book Club], and then she and Lauren [Neustadter] at Hello Sunshine attached Anya to it. Then, they sent me the book, and Cassie and I got involved. Oh, how the tables turn! While Taylor-Joy was a relatively unknown actor for hire when she was approached for The Queen’s Gambit, this time she was one of the first names on Lucky . She was approached; she didn't audition. This also marked her debut as a producer alongside the likes of Reese Witherspoon. As Tropper added, it wasn't just Reese's involvement that got Taylor-Joy involved in the 2026 TV release. It was fate. Even author Marissa Stapley had pictured the actress in the role. There's not a part of this that Cassie and I developed that wasn't with Anya in mind. She's been the character from Day One. We even heard from the author of the book Marissa [Stapley] that she had always pictured Anya Taylor-Joy as well. Lucky starts with a longtime couple, Lucky and Cary, who are getting ready to go on the run with millions of dollars in their hands. However, when Lucky wakes up the following morning to find her husband and the money nowhere to be found, she must avert the authorities (and other parties who want the money) all on her own. When CinemaBlend chatted with Anya Taylor-Joy about the role, she recalled shooting the pilot across twelve days and nights in and around Las Vegas’s Caesar’s Palace. She also told me she was “so proud” of herself after running for twelve hours straight to film one scene in the first episode where Lucky is trying to get out of the famed hotel and disappear. Lucky’s co-showrunner Cassie Pappas said the actress really put her heart and soul into wearing all these different hats in order to make Lucky as great as it is. She joined our writer's room for like maybe the first couple of weeks. She would join in the mornings for like a couple hours, and during those days we’re pitching stuff and there's no bad ideas. And, Anya was really, really helpful in like letting us hone in on who I think [Lucky] is, and like ‘No, this is what I think she would do.’ How cool is it that Taylor-Joy got to work on Lucky from the inside out? You've got to love seeing more talented women movie stars like her taking the reins behind the scenes. Pappas also said this of collaborating with her as well: In terms of the pilot, she was really adamant that she wanted to drop into a real-time pilot that is a full sprint. I could give you a plethora of examples, but she just weighed in wardrobe, cuts, music, all of it. She has exquisite taste and she was like the taste maker of this show.Apple TV: 7-Day Free TrialNew customers can get an Apple TV subscription for free for a whole week before paying $12.99 a month. But once you start Anya Taylor-Joy's new series, you're going to want to stick around for weekly episodes. View DealLucky also stars Outer Banks’ Drew Starkey as Lucky’s husband and Timothy Olyphant as Lucky’s dad. Annette Bening also plays a chilling mob boss after her named Priscilla and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor is FBI Agent Billie Rand, who is on her tail throughout. The TV series was shot not only in Las Vegas but across various terrain in Southern California where Taylor-Joy and the cast got to pull off a series of action scenes and nail-biting car chases. The two-episode premiere of Lucky hits Apple TV this Wednesday, July 15, with new episodes coming out on subsequent Wednesdays. It's been a long time since Anya Taylor-Joy has made a TV show, but this one seems to be well worth the return to the medium.