Andy Serkis & Orlando Bloom Discussed AI For The Hunt For Gollum

Orlando Bloom, well-known for portraying Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, has indicated his willingness to reprise his role in the upcoming film, The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Bloom stated in an interview that he had conversations with the film’s director, Andy Serkis, who hinted at the potential use of AI technology to facilitate the return of original cast members.

Bloom told Variety about the challenges in bringing back characters who have aged since their last appearance, implying AI might be utilized to de-age the actors. While he doesn’t have concrete information about the film’s plans, Bloom seemed happy about potentially revisiting the role and the world that helped launch his career.

Oh, man, those things are amazing. Yeah. I don’t know how they’d do it. I guess with AI you can do anything these days. But, if Pete [Peter Jackson] says jump, I say, ‘how high?’ I mean, he started my whole career… It is an honour and a privilege to travel back to Middle-earth with our good friend and collaborator, Andy Serkis.

Orlando Bloom

The actor’s comments come shortly after Sir Ian McKellen, who played Gandalf in the original trilogy, revealed that he had also been approached to return for The Hunt for Gollum. The prospect of utilizing AI to de-age actors has sparked debate among fans, with some expressing concerns about the potential impact on the film’s authenticity. To be clear, AI has become a buzzword that doesn’t always mean something like Midjourney or ChatGPT. Even Grammarly is being called AI because the term has been watered down to any program that follows a script. They could always just be speaking about CGI techniques that happen to follow a program.

The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum is being directed by Serkis, known for his motion-capture performance as Gollum in the original trilogy. He would likely know what’s best for a movie centered around Smeagol. Serkis is a well-known performance actor who uses his whole face for his acting, and he likely would not ruin the essence of the movie with cheap tricks.

The potential return of iconic characters like Legolas and Gandalf, along with the possible use of AI technology, suggests that The Hunt for Gollum is aiming to bridge the gap between the original trilogy and a new generation of Middle-earth stories. If it works, we may see actors reprise their roles that once could not, which means more fan service.