The next Lord of the Rings film just revealed a strong contender to replace Orlando Bloom's Legolas. In 2027, Warner Bros. will release The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, a film set between the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. As such, the film will include some familiar faces and characters, but it seems that Legolas may not be one of them, given a recent cast announcement.
Warner Bros. has officially confirmed that Anya Taylor-Joy has joined The Hunt for Gollum cast as Seren, an elf archer. Variety had more to share about Taylor-Joy's role, describing Seren as a Sindar Elf of the Woodland Realm who is "a trusted and lethal agent of King Thranduil."
The plot of The Hunt for Gollum delves into Gollum's backstory and his time as Smeagol and follows the Rangers tasked with tracking him down, including Strider (aka Aragorn). The story will feature the return of cast members Andy Serkis as Gollum (who also directs), Ian McKellen as Gandalf, and Elijah Wood as Frodo Baggins, but Orlando Bloom's Legolas is absent from the list.
In 2025 (via Deadline), Bloom mentioned he had "not heard a peep" about being involved in The Hunt for Gollum, though he added he'd "hate to see anyone else play Legolas," suggesting he'd rather be involved than have his role recast. Like many of his co-stars, Bloom reprised his role in The Hobbit films. Although, with filming on The Hunt for Gollum expected to start any day (if it hasn't already), there's still been no confirmation of Bloom's return as his beloved character alongside his old cast mates.
However, with Taylor-Joy cast as Seren, Legolas may no longer be needed in The Hunt for Gollum. The film has seemingly found a new elven archer to enact the wishes of King Thranduil, aka Legolas' father (played by Lee Pace, who will reprise his role). It seems likely that Seren will be the one to assist the Rangers with recovering Gollum in the film, rather than involving Legolas in this task, and that her loyalty to the King will be paramount to her character, as Legolas' was in the original films.
Legolas was an iconic member of the original Fellowship of the Ring, serving as the Elven candidate and renowned for his combat and archery skills. However, at this point in the Lord of the Rings timeline, Legolas is not as foundational to the story as he was in The Fellowship of the Ring, so The Hunt for Gollum seems to be taking the opportunity to introduce a new elven archer in his place.
Taylor-Joy's character is an original one created for The Hunt for Gollum, and she joins the cast as a newcomer alongside Jamie Dornan as Strider (Viggo Mortensen's replacement), Kate Winslet as Marigol, and Leo Woodall as Halvard. The Hunt for Gollum will be released on December 17, 2027.
Could Legolas Still Have a Role in The Hunt for Gollum?
While Taylor-Joy's Seren seems likely to fill the spot of Elven archer on the team to hunt for Gollum, that doesn't mean that a return from Bloom is impossible.
It's mentioned in Lord of the Rings lore that Legolas was tasked by Thranduil with guarding Gollum once the Rangers had returned him to Mirkwood. This opens the door for Bloom to reprise his role as Legolas, perhaps for a short stint towards the end of the film, where he can be seen overseeing Gollum's security after the hunt is over. This would be a neat way to still involve Bloom, without making Legolas too integral to the plot of Hunt for Gollum.
Elijah Wood has been open about the fact that The Hunt for Gollum contains "so many" cameos, suggesting there will be more appearances from The Lord of the Rings characters who may not have been confirmed yet. Bloom's return as Legolas would definitely fit that bill, and it becomes even more likely given that the actor expressed interest in returning.
