Orlando Bloom Might Bring Back Legolas — Here’s What We Know

Published: September 12, 2024

Orlando Bloom Might Bring Back Legolas — Here’s What We Know

By Movieguide® Contributor

Orlando Bloom might return to one of the most iconic roles he’s ever played — the elf Legolas in the LORD OF THE RINGS movies.

But it might take using some new tech to make that happen.

“Oh, man, those things are amazing. Yeah. I don’t know how they’d do it,” he said of his possible return to the franchise. “I guess with AI you can do anything these days. But, if Pete [Peter Jackson] says jump, I say, ‘how high?’ I mean, he started my whole career.”

Discussions about the cast from the original trilogy come after Andy Serkis, who played Gollum, announced he would be directing LORD OF THE RINGS: THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM. Movieguide® previously reported:

Peter Jackson explained why he felt Gollum was the most intriguing character to bring THE LORD OF THE RINGS franchise back to theaters over a decade after the last movie.

“The Gollum/Sméagol character has always fascinated me because Gollum reflects the worst of human nature, whilst his Sméagol side is, arguably, quite sympathetic,” Jackson told Deadline. “I think he connects with readers and film audiences alike, because there’s a little bit of both of them in all of us.”

“We really want to explore his backstory and delve into those parts of his journey we didn’t have time to cover in the earlier films,” he continued. “It’s too soon to know who will cross his path, but suffice to say we will take out lead from Professor Tolkien.”

Despite playing a supporting role in the original trilogy, a portion of Gollum’s story has already been covered, such as his first encounter with the ring and the corruption of his soul from the ring’s maddening power. The new movie looks to fill in the gaps, focusing on the dark period when Gollum was alone with his precious.

“I really don’t know what [they are planning],” Bloom continued. “I did speak to Andy [Serkis] and he did say they were thinking about how to do things. I was like, ‘How would that even work?’ And he was like, ‘Well, AI!’ and I was like, ‘Oh, OK!’ It was a pretty magical time in my life, and it’s one of those things where there’s not a downside to it.”

This news came shortly after Ian McKellan expressed interest in returning as Gandalf.

“I’ve just been told there are going to be more films and Gandalf will be involved and they hope that I’ll be playing him,” the 85-year-old actor said earlier this month. “When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So they better be quick!”

“The new Middle-earth movies will kick off in 2026 with LORD OF THE RINGS: THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM, directed by Andy Serkis, who will reprise his role of Gollum/Sméagol. Original franchise director Jackson is on board to produce alongside his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. The plan is for that film to be the start of a new live-action LORD OF THE RINGS series,” Variety reported.