Orlando Bloom Reveals One Condition for Lord of the Rings Return as Legolas

Orlando Bloom is open to playing Legolas again in another Lord of the Rings movie, but he would want some help looking the part. It’s been over two decades since the actor — now 48 years old — filmed the original trilogy trilogy, and now work has begun on The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which takes place within the time-skip in the first movie, The Fellowship of the Ring. Interviewers from MovieWeb recently asked Bloom if he would reprise his role for this new project, and he said that he would do it only if he could look the part. In his mind, that would require some technological intervention.

“I think first of all, I’d like to see [Legolas] the same age as he was [in the original trilogy],” Bloom reasoned. “So, AI would have to come into play. I think I’d like to see him lithe and breezy and warrior-like, so AI would have to come into play. And I think if they asked me, I would say, ‘Absolutely!’ It would be so fun just to go back to New Zealand and spend however long they want me there for. Because honestly, if you want to be anywhere in the world right now, New Zealand is the place.”

Bloom’s casual use of the term “AI” may not sit well with everyone, as those technologies are a major issue for Hollywood labor unions, among many other groups. However, this wouldn’t be the first time Bloom’s appearance was digitally altered to play Legolas. He appeared in two out of the three movies in The Hobbit trilogy, where his appearance was clearly changed to give him an ageless, elven look.

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Of course, comparisons to the latter two Hobbit movies are not a good thing for most Lord of the Rings fans. Legolas was not even featured in J.R.R. Tolkien’s original novel, but he was added to these movies to create a sense of continuity and excitement for fans, with mixed results. Still, those movies were made with groundbreaking new special effects, which may be a hint about Peter Jackson’s willingness to experiment with today’s newer technology.

The Hunt for Gollum is about Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and Aragorn’s (Viggo Mortensen) investigation into the One Ring in the time between Bilbo Baggins’ 111th birthday party and Frodo’s departure from The Shire. Although this happened quickly in the movie, it actually took place over several years, and required Aragorn’s expert tracking skills. So far, there has been no official casting news about this movie, but Mortensen and McKellen both said they’d be interested in reprising their roles, as have fellow stars Elijah Wood and John Rhys-Davies.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is currently scheduled for release on December 17, 2027. The original trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy are both streaming now on Max.