Original Gimli Star Reveals 1 Return Condition for New Lord of the Rings Movie

John Rhys-Davies shares the only condition needed for him to return The Lord of the Rings‘next movie. The franchise must continue with The Hunt for Gollumas Andy Serkis directs the project and reprises his role as the titular character. Ian McKellen will also return to play Gandalf in The Hunt for Gollum and in other live action The Lord of the Rings film that is currently in development. With Serkis and McKellen back, there is room for other actors to return as well, which could include Rhys-Davies playing Gimli once again.

When speaking with Collider, Rhys-Davies revealed that he “may indeed” return to playing Gimli, but only if CGI is used. He explained that he no longer wants to go through the extensive and time-consuming process of putting on the Gimli prosthesis and the makeup that was used during The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Rhys-Davies also addressed some of the physical challenges involved in reprising the role. Check out their comments below:

Now, I’ve been known to not want to put that prosthetic back on, but out of deference to Andy, who I love and admire and who has grown so much, if they asked me… oh, God, could I dare put it on? put on makeup again and lose your skin? Maybe with CGI. Before, when I was asked to do ‘The Hobbit’, for example, I said no. No, not at all. Times have changed and technology has evolved, if I didn’t have to spend eight hours a day for three years of my life in a makeup chair, maybe I would. The other thing is that physically I’m no longer able to put on forty kilos of extra armor and stuff and climb mountains.

What this means for the hunt for Gollum

Gimli may appear despite some challenges

In addition to Serkis and McKellen, The Hunt for GollumThe cast of remains unconfirmedbut Rhys-Davies is open to joining, as long as CGI is used to create elements of Gimli’s physical appearance. Rhys-Davies delivered one of The Lord of the Rings‘ best performances and is a vital part of what made the trilogy such a success. Bringing Gimli back alongside Gollum, Gandalf, and other familiar characters could help generate excitement and potential success for the next film.

From a narrative point of view, Gimli doesn’t fit in as naturally as Gandalf or Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen), as they are actively involved in hunting Gollum. However, as seen with the inclusion of Legolas (Orlando Bloom) in The Hobbit film trilogy, familiar characters can be added to the story. Based on Rhys-Davies’ comments about being asked to do The HobbitGimli was almost added to the cinema too, although he is not in the The Hobbit book, and a similar approach could be adopted with The Hunt for Gollum.

Gimli does not need to return as a main character

Rhys-Davies’ willingness to return to the franchise is understandable, especially now that it’s been more than two decades since he last played the character. If Gimli doesn’t appear, he doesn’t need to be one of the main charactersand having him be part of the actual hunt for Gollum would not be in line with what is established in The Fellowship of the Ring. Depending on what the story is for the other live-action The Lord of the Rings film in development, Rhys-Davies could also return for that project instead of The Hunt for Gollum.

Source: Collider