If you just heard a high-pitched squee, that was me reading that Orlando Bloom may reprise his role of Legolas in the upcoming film version of The Hobbit.
How is that possible, the Tolkien purists ask. I don’t care, I respond. Orlando back in a blonde wig and pointy ears surpasses any trivialities like the absence of Legolas from the book version of The Hobbit.
Galadriel isn’t in The Hobbit either, yet Cate Blanchett is returning for Peter Jackson’s film version.
E! News confirms that the Elven star of The Lord of the Rings trilogy [Orlando Bloom] is in talks to appear in Jackson’s Hobbit adaptation.
As Legolas didn’t feature in the original book, speculation starts to swirl as to what the filmmakers have in store for the Aussie [sic] actor. Lost-like flashforwards perhaps?
He won’t be alone.
The filmmakers announced that the Academy Award-winning actress [Cate Blanchett] will reprise her role as Galadriel, the grandest elf of all, in The Hobbit.
In a statement, director Jackson says: “Cate is one of my favorite actors to work with, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to have her reprise the role she so beautifully brought to life in the earlier film.”
It’s not a complete abomination of Tolkien to have Legolas and Galadriel return for The Hobbit, since they are thousands of years old and therefore alive during Bilbo’s adventures. Plus, Legolas is a Mirkwood elf prince, and Mirkwood is the forest Bilbo treks through.
It’s been years since I read The Hobbit, but if I recall correctly (and I’m sure Tolkien fans will correct me if I’m wrong), the Mirkwood elves were drunk and sort of douchebags. It’s movie canon that Legolas has never been drunk before (in a great deleted scene with Eomer and Gimli), so it will be interesting to see how Peter Jackson reconciles the two.
It will also be interesting to see who they cast as Legolas’s father, Thranduil. I nominate Johnny Depp.
Now if only they can work Viggo Mortensen back in as Aragorn, I will send them a kidney and a first-born child and all the money I ever earn for the rest of my life.
Part one of The Hobbit will be out in 2012 and part two in 2013.
Photos via AllMoviePhoto
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