Orlando Bloom interested in playing Legolas in The Hobbit

Over the years we’ve heard from nearly every Lord of the Rings cast member about whether they would be interesting in returning to Middle Earth for The Hobbit. The response from just about everyone (except Ian McKellen) is that they’d love too, however they don’t think their characters are required. The same thing was echoed again recently when MTV spoke to Orlando Bloom about possibly returning to play Legolas.

“I shot an e-mail to Pete and I said, ‘You know, if you want me to don the blonde wig and pointy ears again, I’d be honored to do it,’” Bloom revealed. “He said, ‘Well, we’ll see.’ They’re very, very hush-hush.”

It’s not particularly likely that Bloom’s services would be required for “The Hobbit” as Legolas has no role in the original story, though it’s always possible that the actor could play Thranduil, Legolas’ father who appears as the Elvenking in the story. But even if Bloom doesn’t return to Middle-Earth, he’s more than happy to see what Jackson and Del Toro have in store.

“It’s Guillermo’s movie and I’m a huge fan of that man,” said the actor. “He’s obviously going to take his own idea of it, but I’m excited for that movie. I think it’s going to be great.”

Legolas isn’t in The Hobbit so it is unlikely he will appear, however Tolkien fansite TheOneRing.net has posted a lengthy argument as to why Legolas could appear. To cut to the point: While Legolas wasn’t mentioned in The Hobbit book, he apparently mentioned in the films that he is 2,931 years old, and therefore would be around during the events of The Hobbit. This could give del Toro and Peter Jackson an excuse to bring Bloom back if they wanted.