Orlando Bloom has revealed his one condition to return as woodland elf Legolas in . Though the last of Peter Jackson's adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's seminal works was released over a decade ago, Warner Bros. is ready to resurrect Middle-earth for the big screen. The result is The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which will see Andy Serkis both direct and reportedly star in an offshoot of the original Lord of the Rings story.

Though it has yet to be confirmed when Gollum is set in Middle-earth's timeline, it will likely take place near The Fellowship of the Ring, with Aragorn and Gandalf searching for Gollum to prevent him from revealing the One Ring's whereabouts to Sauron's forces. If true, other familiar characters and cast members could potentially return to Middle-earth, too, including Orlando Bloom's Legolas, a crucial member of Frodo's accompanying fellowship. In an interview with MovieWeb,

“I think first of all, I’d like to see [Legolas] the same age as he was [in the original trilogy]. So, AI would have to come into play. I think I’d like to see him lithe and breezy and warrior-like, so AI would have to come into play. And I think if they asked me, I would say, ‘Absolutely!’ It would be so fun just to go back to New Zealand and spend however long they want me there for. Because honestly, if you want to be anywhere in the world right now, New Zealand is the place.”

. Jackson's Hobbit adaptations were famously stretched from a singular children's book into an epic (but arguably overwrought) trilogy, adding story elements to suit the demands of a longer narrative. Though Legolas didn't have a role in Tolkien's book, his inclusion in the movies made sense on a technical level, as Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and the Dwarves traveled to Mirkwood and had a sinister altercation with his father, Elvenking Thranduil (Lee Pace).

If The Hunt for Gollum's story does take place as close to The Lord of the Rings as we believe – and as Bloom seems to imply – then there's a genuine chance Legolas will turn up on the big screen again. De-aging characters in movies and shows using CGI and AI is nothing new. Major franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Star Wars have used these techniques with varying degrees of success, as well as legendary filmmakers like Martin Scorsese. An actor's age isn't a major issue anymore. The better question is, should Warner Bros. rehash the past?

Bloom, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, John Rhys-Davies, Elijah Wood, and more have all spoken positively of a potential return to Middle-earth. McKellen even admitted that he'd been outright asked about reprising his role last year, though there has been no further news of his involvement. , though that presents two risks.

As Bloom mentioned, the returning actors would probably need to be de-aged and their movements enhanced with CGI, which could affect the movie's quality and the audience's immersion. Alternatively, the roles will be recast, inviting rampant comparison and inevitable criticism. At least The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power introduced characters never seen on screen, or revisited known characters at such different ages that casting new actors didn't matter. will not have that luxury, and may therefore have painted itself into a corner.

Source: MovieWeb