# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/61 "2004-03-31T02:26:26Z")
I don’t think Orlando Bloom’s speficic _age_ would be that big of a hindrance - Sean Connery was only 32 when he was in _Dr. No_ after all - but I do think that he just looks too…modern. He just doesn’t have the classic, rugged, refined look of a worldly spy. “I’ll have a Vodka…and Red Bull. Shaken, not stirred.” ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/62 "2004-03-31T03:43:15Z")
Orlando Bloom? I’m just not seeing it. Not only does he seem too young, but he’s not all that attractive to me either. He has a pleasant-looking face but that’s all. I don’t think he’s that remarkable and can’t figure out what all the fuss over him is about. I had been figuring that perhaps he only appealed to the teenaged/20-something set. My mom, however, immediately commented on how “handsome” Bloom was in the _Pirates_ movie. My mom’s other heartthrobs include Burt Lancaster and John Garfield, (I think they’re cool too) so apparently Bloom’s appeal isn’t a generational thing. Or perhaps, at least in our family, his appeal skipped a generation. 'Cause I’m just not seeing it. My personal vote goes for Clive Owen, who has that dreamy, brooding, attractive thing going, but would be excellent at the “morally ambiguous good guy” thing as well. (Besides, my mom thinks he’s a heartthrob too. 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![UncaStuart](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncastuart/32/404_2.png) [@UncaStuart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncaStuart)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/63 "2004-03-31T03:55:59Z")
I’m a “me too” on Clive Owen, to get a Bond closer to the earlier books, if nothing else. Morally ambiguous, as mentioned, and just two hairs away from being burnt out by the job. Hell, give him back his blower Bentley while we’re at it. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/64 "2004-03-31T03:59:28Z")
> [@yosemitebabe](#): > > not all that attractive to me either. …dreamy, brooding, attractive thing going, Bond is supposed to be _attractive?_ In the movies this is the guy who sends his opponent through a snowplow and observes, “He had a lot of guts.” ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/65 "2004-03-31T04:34:59Z")
Lesse… British character portrayed by non-British actors… Connery-Scot Lazenby-Kiwi Hey, lets just replace Mr. Remington Steele with ANOTHER Mick… DANIEL DAY LEWIS…Oscar Winner. ---
**Author:** ![WILLASS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/54ee81/32.png) [@WILLASS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WILLASS)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/66 "2004-03-31T05:07:36Z")
> [@Enola Straight](#): > > Lesse… > British character portrayed by non-British actors… > > Connery-Scot > Lazenby-Kiwi > > Hey, lets just replace Mr. Remington Steele with ANOTHER Mick… > > DANIEL DAY LEWIS…Oscar Winner. As you just pointed out Connery _is/_ British, Scotland is part of Britain… ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/67 "2004-03-31T05:32:32Z")
I meant “as opposed to England”, like Scotland, or Wales. Is either Moore or Dalton Welsh? ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/68 "2004-03-31T06:01:10Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Bond is supposed to be _attractive?_ Yes, “attractive” as in “nice to look at.” Not pretty-boy or beautiful, which seems to describe Bloom a little better. I don’t think that, for instance, Clive Owen is even that _handsome_ (unlike Sean Connery, Roger Moore or Pierce Brosnan). But Clive Owen is—oh my word—_very_ attractive. ---
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/69 "2004-03-31T06:15:49Z")
Well, it’s official. My mom was consulted on this issue and she gave a very emphatic “thumbs up” to Clive Owen. She has a great deal of good sense on such topics so as far as I’m concerned the matter is settled. Clive Owen it is! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/70 "2004-03-31T06:39:08Z")
I could be wrong about this since I’ve never read the books myself, but I think the Bond of the novels is actually supposed to be Scottish and not English. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/71 "2004-03-31T11:28:53Z")
I heard the next Bond is going to be Joe Pesci - “Bond, James fucking Bond” ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/72 "2004-03-31T11:57:01Z")
Another vote for the guy from _Privateer 2: The Darkening_. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/73 "2004-03-31T13:11:00Z")
> [@yosemitebabe](#): > > Orlando Bloom? I’m just not seeing it. Not only does he seem too young, but he’s not all that attractive to me either. He has a pleasant-looking face but that’s all. I don’t think he’s that remarkable and can’t figure out what all the fuss over him is about. I had been figuring that perhaps he only appealed to the teenaged/20-something set. > > My mom, however, immediately commented on how “handsome” Bloom was in the _Pirates_ movie. My mom’s other heartthrobs include Burt Lancaster and John Garfield, (I think they’re cool too) so apparently Bloom’s appeal isn’t a generational thing. Or perhaps, at least in our family, his appeal skipped a generation. 'Cause I’m just not seeing it. Eh, you’re not the only one who doesn’t get it. This isn’t very nice, but I have privately referred to him as “Orlando Bland”. Nothing against the guy, but I can’t see getting excited over him. However, I guess being pleasant-looking while seeming nice and non-threatening is nothing to sneeze at. Among my students I’ve got both high school students and housewives who are crazy for young Mr. Bloom, so his appeal isn’t just limited to youngsters. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/74 "2004-03-31T13:17:16Z")
> [@yosemitebabe](#): > > My mom was consulted on this issue… Clive Owen it is! 😉 Who am I to contradict the teachings of childhood? ---
**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 31, 2004, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/75 "2004-03-31T13:37:55Z")
Re: Owen as Bond [Some fan is already getting ahead of it](http://www.hmss.com/owenbond.gif) 😃 (I was particularly amused by the casting of “KanaBun” [a popular Japanese porn star] in the picture) ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2004, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/76 "2004-03-31T14:49:46Z")
Orlando _Bloom??_ Gah! Why not just cast Justin Timberlake or the crown prince of sissies himself: Leonardo DiCaprio. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: God, it’d be worse than Madonna’s title song. ---
**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:** [April 1, 2004, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/77 "2004-04-01T01:45:51Z")
> [@don't ask](#): > > I heard the next Bond is going to be Joe Pesci - “Bond, James fucking Bond” That would also work if you cast Ewan McGregor-guy’s got a serious potty mouth! ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2004, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/78 "2004-04-03T01:07:55Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > \it’s said that the only Bond Fleming felt was a close match was Roger Moore’s Bond. (Frankly, I find that a bit hard to believe, being a Connory fan.) Me too, considering Flemings death in '64 and Moore’s first outing as Bond in '73… I think the best bond since ‘You only live twice’ (and chosing not to remember Connery trying to look Japanese) was Brosnan, but not in a Bond flick but as Andy Osnard in ‘Tailor of Panama.’ For me, Bond has always been that sexist ruthless bastard that Brosnan portrays so well in that movie. I only EON productions had the guts to let him play Bond in the same manner. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@Miss\_Purl\_McKnittington](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Purl_McKnittington)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2004, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/79 "2004-04-03T02:02:03Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > . . . I’ve heard that Matt LeBlanc was bandied about as a possible Bond (yech!) in the past. > > It is a very hard role to fill, and perhaps it would be best if it were just allowed to lie fallow for awhile. Matt LeBlanc? JOEY?!? Oh my god, I can see it now: **Bond** : That’s it, Blofeld! You sit in my chair. You take my underwear. Now I’m gonna do the exact opposite to you! **Blofeld** : The exact opposite? Wha–? Are you going to _give_ me _my_ underwear? **Bond** : EXACT OPPOSITE! _Bond disappears into Blofeld’s room and emerges shortly._ **Bond** : I’m wearing every single piece of clothing you own. And I’m goin’ commando! It would be a shame if I started doing lunges! **Blofeld** : NO! _Octopussy enters._ **Octopussy** : Dr. No didn’t have any dresses that fit me, but he did have this little Christmas ribbon that covered up the hummus. Do you like it? No thank you! OP: As much as I adore Orlando Bloom and as many times as he’s represented on my Wall o’ Hotness, I don’t think James Bond is the role for him. He needs a few more years behind him. Ewan McGregor on the other hand . . . **Lamia** , I read “John Garfield” as “James Garfield” and I was trying to figure out exactly how old your mother was that she would have him on her list of hotties. Or even why he’d be on there. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f07891/32.png) [@Little\_Plastic\_Ninja](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Plastic_Ninja)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2004, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954/80 "2004-04-03T03:03:24Z")
Hugh Jackman. God yes. I’m going to close my eyes and muse on that image. 😃 Only problem is, I don’t want to see him put into the Bond typecast, though. But I think he could rise above it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orlando-bloom-legolas-positioned-to-be-next-james-bond-good-idea-or-bad/236954.md?page=5)