Lord Of The Rings Legolas Recast Leaves Viewers Divided

The Lord Of The Rings franchise is well regarded for its iconic cast of characters, with fan-favourites being Gandalf, Samwise Gamgee and, of course, Legolas.

Some of these characters will be returning for a new film that's in the works, The Hunt for Gollum. Hopefully, it’ll turn out better than some of those Hobbit films did.

One character that might make another appearance is Legolas, but talks of a recast are worrying potential viewers.

Actor Orlando Bloom has spoken up about returning to the role in an interview with Today saying, "Listen, I'd hate to see anyone else play Legolas, you know what I mean? What are they going to do? Are they going to put somebody else in as Legolas?”

You’d hope that if Legolas was coming back, Orlando Bloom would be the first person producers would speak to about it, but the fans aren’t quite convinced.

Commenting on the interview Bloom gave, many believe he’ll be shunned and a new face will be selected for the role, and some actually don’t want him to come back.

“Good thing it’s not up to him” read one comment, presumably wanting a new actor to star as the elven archer.

“Too late for that,” read another, “Amazon is milking it for every penny. It's Disney Star Wars all over again.”

Other comments were more supportive of Bloom holding onto the role, like one that said, “He IS Legolas so it makes sense he doesn't want anyone to play him. Also he can still play Legolas with no need for someone else to play the role.”

Personally, I’d be surprised if they go with anyone else. Other actors like Andy Serkis and Sir Ian McKellen are coming back to reprise their roles in the upcoming Gollum film, so why couldn’t Orlando Bloom return even as a cameo?

If there are concerns over Orlando Bloom’s age, there’s an in-universe explanation they can fall back on. While elves in the Lord Of The Rings stories do generally look youthful, despite their age, there are always exceptions to the rule, and in a worst case scenario a bit of de-aging CGI could be used.

I’m hoping to see Bloom return as Legolas one day, it’d be a shame to see him left out.

The Hunt For Gollum, directed by Andy Serkis with Peter Jackson onboard as executive director, is set to land on 17 December 2027.