Just days after Ian McKellen hinted at the possibility of reprising his iconic role as Gandalf in the upcoming Lord of the Rings films, his co-star Orlando Bloom has thrown his name into the ring as well. The actor, best known for playing the elf Legolas in Peter Jackson’s original trilogy, expressed his excitement about returning to Middle-earth in a recent interview with Variety.
“Oh, man, those things are amazing,” Bloom said when asked if he’d be interested in coming back to the Tolkien franchise. “Yeah. I don’t know how they’d do it. I guess with AI you can do anything these days. But, if Pete says jump, I say, ‘how high?’ I mean, he started my whole career.”
The new Lord of the Rings live-action films, set to kick off in 2026 with Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, will be directed by Andy Serkis, who will also reprise his role as Gollum/Sméagol. The project has Jackson on board as a producer, alongside his long-time collaborators Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. According to Warner Bros., this film will serve as the starting point for a new wave of Lord of the Rings films.
Who Else Will Return for ‘The Hunt for Gollum’?
While specifics about the plot of The Hunt for Gollum remain scarce, fans are already speculating about which original cast members might return. Bloom’s enthusiasm about the potential reunion adds fuel to the fire. However, like McKellen, Bloom remains in the dark about the exact details.
“I really don’t know what [they are planning].
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.”
McKellen, who has played the iconic wizard Gandalf in both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, made headlines earlier this month when he revealed he’d been told Gandalf would be part of the upcoming films.
“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. When? I don’t know. What the script is? It’s not written yet. So they better be quick!”
With anticipation building and some of the franchise’s biggest stars eager to return, the road to the next Lord of the Rings epic is already paved with excitement. Fans will just have to wait and see who else might answer the call to journey back to Middle-earth. Stay tuned for more.
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