# Orlando Bloom (Legolas) positioned to be next James Bond -- Good idea or bad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 28, 2004, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954 "2004-03-28T19:13:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Call\_me\_Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Call\_me\_Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Call_me_Frank)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/41 "2004-03-29T06:05:15Z")
Ideally I’d have Brosnan stay on as Bond. But IMHO, Bloom would be considerably better than Colin Farrel. I’ve seen The Recruit and snippets of American Outlaws and I was generally unimpressed with his talents… But, that’s just my humble opinion… ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/42 "2004-03-29T13:48:24Z")
Yeah, I’m another one that thinks this would be an insanely bad idea. I’ve always had friends growing up in a wide variety of ages that loved James Bond movies, so I don’t see where this “Trying to reach a younger audience” shit comes from. Plus, although he’s come off pretty good on camera, if you actually pay attention to his acting, you realize that Bloom is really quite bad. Not much range and kinda stiff. He’s cute, but Bond’s not supposed to be cute…he’s Scottish, for chrissakes! Keep Brosnan, and when he’s done, get another guy in his 40s to pick up the part…stay away from anyone younger (unless you really just hate the franchise, then make him into Inspector Gadget for all I care). ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/43 "2004-03-29T14:08:13Z")
I can think of nothing worse. Frankly, I hate Brosnan as Bond. If you read the books, Bond exudes toughness and machismo. Brosnan comes across as a smooth sissy. The two best choices out of known actors right now are Ewan McGregor or Russell Crowe. I don’t think you’ll get the latter to do it, though. Too bad since he’d be perfect. Hugh Jackman is an interesting choice, though. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/44 "2004-03-29T14:15:28Z")
> [@Neurotik](#): > > The two best choices out of known actors right now are Ewan McGregor or Russell Crowe. I don’t think you’ll get the latter to do it, though. Too bad since he’d be perfect. “Makin’ movies, makin’ music, and spying round the world.” ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/45 "2004-03-29T14:19:50Z")
James Bond needs to be someone who can pull off Cary Grant. Because we all know that Cary Grant (North by Northwest, Notorious) was the pre-Bond. Maybe Bloom will be able to pull off Cary Grant when he is 40. McGregor might be able to pull it off now. Jackman certainly could. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/46 "2004-03-29T14:22:47Z")
To all of you saying ‘he’s too young’ the guy is [twenty-seven years old](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0089217/.). He’s just played young (or incredibly old while looking young in the case of the elf. Maybe he could do it and maybe he couldn’t. But don’t say it’s because of his age. ---
**Author:** ![the\_Lady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bb73d2/32.png) [@the\_Lady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_Lady)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/47 "2004-03-29T14:26:39Z")
Well - now that is a surprise. Although Orlando is defintely eye-candy, and if he were Bond I’d certainly go see the movie - I would agree that he’s a bit young for the part. I think Ewan McGregor would work well - he’s the few years older to make the whole thing believable. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/48 "2004-03-29T14:28:33Z")
Before I see a young Bond, I want to see a black Bond. I think Denzel Washington could fill the bill. ---
**Author:** ![BizarroRonJeremy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@BizarroRonJeremy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BizarroRonJeremy)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/49 "2004-03-29T16:25:27Z")
My vote would be with Jude Law. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/50 "2004-03-29T16:29:20Z")
Nothing against Bloom, but I don’t think he’d be _menacing_ enough to play Bond. Sure, Bond’s one of the “good guys”, but he’s a morally ambiguous character and certainly not capital-G “Good”. I have a hard time picturing Bloom in such a role, and even if he could do it I think it would alienate much of his fan base. It always seemed to me that a big part of his appeal was that he seemed…nice. Bond is not _nice_. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/51 "2004-03-29T17:42:09Z")
Bloom?! Blofeld would kick Bloom’s ass. Hell, Christopher Walken from that terrible Bond movie would kick his ass. Bloom’s not rugged enough. Bond needs to be able to take a punch–and I hope they don’t continue the “Bond Gets His Ass Kicked Through Half The Movie” trend, or he’ll HAVE to. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/52 "2004-03-29T17:46:58Z")
> [@II Gyan II](#): > > I heard a rumour about Clive Owen as the next Bond. That would be my choice, or maybe Dominic West. I adore Ewan McGregor but he’s not classically handsome enough. ---
**Author:** ![Airblairxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Airblairxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airblairxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/53 "2004-03-29T18:28:45Z")
If you wanted a rugged Bond, perhaps Guy Ritchie’s movies might be a good resource. Someone like [Jason Statham](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005458/), perhaps (he’d need a toupee, but just ask Sean Connory if that would be a hindrance). (And thanks in advance to all who refrain from suggesting Mrs Guy Ritchie; I said “rugged”, not “ragged”.) Some other suggestions: He’s worked in MI5, why not MI6? [Matthew McFadyen](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0532193/) If the world can accept a redheaded Bond, I submit [Damian Lewis](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0507073/). ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/54 "2004-03-29T18:48:42Z")
I’d rather see Carrot Top than Pierce Brosnan. Hate that fricking guy. I’d like to see Clive Owen play Bond with a tinge of melancholy and a little more dimension. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/55 "2004-03-29T19:07:54Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Dunno, but Brosnan’s Irish. He claims that the first movie he ever saw in a theater, and the one that made him want to be an actor, was _Thunderball_. Close–it was _Goldfinger_. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/56 "2004-03-30T00:03:03Z")
Bloom’s too young. It’d be all, like, “My name is Bond, James Bond, but my friends call me ‘Bubbles’.” ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/57 "2004-03-30T00:28:10Z")
So… is this proposed movie supposed to be a prequel or a wacky reverse-aging plot? If neither, my vote goes to Charlton Heston, for age appropriateness. Maybe Rue McLanahan could play the Bond Girl. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/58 "2004-03-30T00:59:10Z")
> [@Lamia](#): > > Nothing against Bloom, but I don’t think he’d be _menacing_ enough to play Bond. Sure, Bond’s one of the “good guys”, but he’s a morally ambiguous character and certainly not capital-G “Good”. I have a hard time picturing Bloom in such a role, and even if he could do it I think it would alienate much of his fan base. It always seemed to me that a big part of his appeal was that he seemed…nice. Bond is not _nice_. Right. As mentioned a few times in **Johnny L.A.**'s excellent series of Bond-movie threads, many Bond fans dig seeing a 007 with a dark side, one that you believe would kill someone in cold blood if that’s what the mission takes. As to whether young or old… as said earlier, Bond is not just knbowledgeable, he’s _worldly_. He is up to date on all the technical journals AND can tell if his drink is prepared perfectly. You name it, he has been there, done that. Not only that but IIRC, part of the idea is that Bond worked his way up from relatively low social strata (might have been a common enlisted entrant in the RN, worked in special boat sqn. ops as a rating, then spotted for bigger, better things, given an education and a commission and moved to high-stakes espionage and covert ops) so it took a bit for him to acquire such worldliness. ---
**Author:** ![N.Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@N.Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N.Sane)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2004, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/59 "2004-03-30T23:19:32Z")
I’d like to see Denzel Washington as Bond. Yummmmm ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/60 "2004-03-31T01:58:08Z")
If you’re going for a Cary Grant type, what about George Clooney? Or better yet, go for a Slavic Bond and get Goran Visnjic…mmmm! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954.md?page=4)