Peter Jackson announced today on his facebook page that Orlando Bloom will be reprising his drool-worthy role as the Elf Legolas in Jackson’s long-awaited adaptation of “The Hobbit.”

After prancing and swashbuckling his way through the three “Lord of the Rings” movies in the early 2000s, there was doubt about Bloom reappearing in the two-part “Hobbit,” which is a prequel to the LOTR films.  Legolas does not exist yet in JRR Tolkien’s original novel “The Hobbit,” but fans have nothing to fear from a re-write; if Jackson and co. do as good a job adapting “The Hobbit” for the screen as they did the three massive LOTR books, another mega blockbuster is assured.

The first half of “The Hobbit” is currently scheduled to land in theaters in December 2012.  The second will follow in 2013.