Orlando Bloom seems to be shying away from playing the great elf Legolas in “The Hobbit,” that is unless his original “Lord of the Rings” helmer is behind the camera. “Who’s directing it, Peter Jackson?” he mockingly answered when asked about the possibility.
Yes, we know that Legolas isn’t technically in “The Hobbit,” and to his eternal credit, Bloom knows this as well. But dedicated “Rings” fans know that Legolas is an elf from the realm of Mirkwood, a kingdom Bilbo Baggins and his dwarf companions get captured in towards the end of “The Hobbit,” imprisoned there by the Elvenking Thranduil.
Given, then, that Bilbo spends much time during “The Hobbit” at Mirkwood, and given, too, that Thranduil is Legolas’s father — it seems inconceivable that filmmakers wouldn’t choose to include the popular character in some capacity. “Maybe they’ll create a subplot for Legolas,” Bloom said, though later adding that “I think we covered [his story] with ‘Lord of the Rings.’”
Would Legolas in “The Hobbit” be a good idea, with or without Peter Jackson? Sound off below.
Battle of Five Armies, so of course he would have to show up somewhere!!! Drunken party elves when Bilbo escapes would be a great place. What about Sting for Thranduil ????
Legolas shouldn't get a subplot or anything, it's just that when a "random elf" says something it should be Legolas instead, i.e. when the dwarves get captured by a hunting party it could be led by Legolas.
Whatever.
***I am adamant that NONE of the actors from the trilogy should work on "The Hobbit" without Peter Jackson.
This news that Orlando is unwilling to make a cameo in a non-Jackson Hobbit is great; it puts more pressure on New Line to work with Jackson and reconcile with him.
***Ian McKellen (Gandalf the Gray) and Andy Serkis (Gollum) the two other major characters who actually DO reappear in the story, have said they are unwilling to return without Jackson at the helm.
I doubt Hugo Weaving will come back as Elrond either.
Also, the other actors said they would be willing to make little cameos, i.e. Elijah Wood as his father Drogo Baggins and Sean Astin as Hamfast "Gaffer" Gamgee could appear at the end during the "auction" scene; but Wood and Astin have made clear that they're iffy on making cameos without Jackson.
***Good eye, MTV; of course you probably looked up the explanation of "how and why Legolas should be retconned into a Hobbit movie even though he wasn't directly in the book" from the wikipedia article on Legolas that we Ringers ourselves wrote (doesn't really matter :) )
Yes: one more challenge to New Line which might make them change their minds.
***You see the problem is that even J.R.R. Tolkien himself openly admitted that "Legolas" is the member of the Fellowship that does the least; he's a minor character. Well not "minor", but Tolkien himself said "he's kind of the "token Elf"".
Remember how Leggy didn't really do TOO much in FOTR? THey didn't realize he'd be this breakout success, so they started giving him more to do in the later movies because he was popular. ****Aragorn's "great friend" in LOTR is Eomer of the Rohirrim, not Legolas. Eomer's screentime was hurt alot.
Bloom is a GREAT actor though, as the writers admit; they'd often give him impossibly bad scripts and he'd turn it into something great. I mean he puts so much thought into simple things like "this is what Legolas's reaction should be to getting a new Galathrim bow" and "the concept of a mortal death should be an alien concept to Legolas, so when Boromir dies I react with complete confusion" etc. etc. He put a lot of thought and heart into that role.
****So Legolas got turned into this action-centric character; the heart of his role was really when he stops being enemies with Gimli.
Legolas never had a girlfriend; no comment.
*****Oh this would be fun; in the extended edition of Return of the King Legolas wins this drinking contest with Gimli at Edoras.
***in "The Hobbit", Bilbo is able to free the Dwarves from the Elf prison because the head guard and another elf get into their own drinking contest, but with super-wine from Dorwinion which is "strong sheet" even for Elves (You're supposed to drink it out of a shotglass, but they only had doublepint flagons lying around...) and they pass out drunk. That might be fun for him to do.
***Just remember: Legolas is not a Wood Elf. He's a Gray Elf. A Gray Elf that basically "went native" and started acting like a Wood Elf running around in the forest; he's really one of the Sindar (Gray Elves).
And that's what we want!
make me gag that guy is old and so not an elf; maybe as Bard the dragon slayer but not an elf. not to rag on Hugo because he got elronds carachter right but he was a bit old to look the part.maybe Joaquin phoenix as thranduil. but it is great that the cast of LOTR are sticking up for Peter
That is all.
New Line I think will loose money on it as nobody I know is interested unless PJ directs.
Why couldn't another director do just as good a job? I seem to remember everyone berating PJ prior to the movie being made indicating he was only good for splatter movies.
I for one doing give a monkeys who directs it provided the film remains true to it's roots and is casted well!
Plenty of good directors out there and some not so well known that can do the job just as well if not better than PJ.
As for Legolas appearing in The Hobbit, a cameo would be appropriate, but that's about it. The story isn't about him.
I wanna see the hobbit movie so bad but . I will NEVER bother watching the Hobbit if directed by someone else.
But as to "The Hobbit" film's future: not without PJ! New Line doesn't get another penny of my money, either, until and unless they cease this foolish politic-ing and make up with Peter so he can give us "The Hobbit" the fans deserve, expect and demand.
Over 60000 fans agree.
http://www.petitiononline.com/hobfilm/petition.html
As for a PJ ONLY Hobbit, well, I am in favour. However, no one seems to remember that without New Line we would never have had the LOTR trilogy. Instead we would have had a shoddy one film Miramar production with no PJ and probably no Weta and certainly no real appreciation of JRR. So maybe PJ needs to also get over all the political/legal mumbo-jumbo and make nice. Hey, I'm all for someone getting what is owed to them, but enough is enough. Between New Line and PJ et al, we fans have spent BILLIONS of dollars.
I think both New Line and PJ owe the fans an apology and a Hobbit movie. That said, there are other great directors, other fabulous writers and Weta's Richard Taylor has already gone on record as saying Weta is willing to be involved with or without PJ. New Zealand, of course IS Middle Earth and is the ONLY place a Hobbit move should be made.
As far as I'm concerned the real MUST have actors are Andy Serkis; he IS Gollum and Ian McKellan, without them any movie of the Hobbit would be hard to take.
George Lucas WROTE the Star Wars stories as well as directing (and controlling all the rights to the characters etc). Now do we see a difference? Apples & oranges my dear.
I agree that PJ would be best, but at this point I'm rapidly approaching the point where the whole project is leaving a sour taste. I think I rather not see the Hobbit made at all (with or without a nice Orli cameo) than see it degenerate into such a negative experience.
Don't know about you, but I think I'll spend the rest of this lovely Canadian holiday weekend in some nice Hobbity experience like planting a garden. Or maybe I'll watch the trilogy AGAIN!
No.
God, I hope not.
Then that would be entirely obvious that they're just trying to cash in on Orlando's Fangirl Following.
Maybe, if anything, a very tiny Cameo apperance?
Nothing major, please. Nothing that'll change the plot too much, as I know Jackson likes to do.
Don't get me wrong, I love Orlando, but I love Tolkien more.
I'm totally all about David Bowie for Thanduil, though. Haha~
Also, No one should Tackle the Hobbit except for Jackson.
HOWEVER, if P. J. doesn't do the movie, I will certainly skip it.
Sean Astin playing the Gaffer(in a cameo) would be fun, although by the time the film gets made he might be too young. Hamfast was just a kid when Bilbo returned from his journey. No Drogo cameo, please!
I think Orli is too young yet to play Thranduil. That part will require an actor with some real presence. (No offence, I love O.B.)
I'm all for PJ directing, the story is more his speed, and he won't have to deminish the characters as much to bring them down to his level. But getting the film made, and made right, is the main thing. Of course, Ian Mckellen MUST play Gandalf. And if he won't do it with any other director, then let's just get on with it. Enough politics, already.
However,just a thought, but if George Lucas hadn't been so involved in the last three "Star Wars" films, perhaps they wouldn't have been such self-indulgent embarasments.
That being said, I'd still rather stick a fork in my eyes than see Orlando in some uncanon Legolas!subplot.
Whoever said Bowie should play Thranduil pretty much wins at life.
I am worried that they would try to make this a reunion show and bring in the entire old cast(rumor: that Arwen could be written in), litter the movie with subplots and reduce this fantastic tale to a marketing vehicle for all those involved.
The Hobbit must be from the same Universe as LOTR and that is the vison of PJ and his team. Anything else will suck. Just imagine the Hobbit with another Gandalf and different looking hobbiton, bree, rivendell, ouch can't hardly withstand the thought of it.
Has to do the Hobbit and to include his cast of magical actors to create middle earth in N Z as he did in the LOFR.If Tolkien was here in body he would have approved the end result of the trilogy.Whoever PJ casts will win my vote anyway as his taste in selecting actors for certain roles has been proven beyound doubt his masterfullness in choice.Arise Sir Peter !!! Ciao For Now xxx.