The actor who portrayed the dwarf Gimli in the movies of The Lord of the Rings is contemplating a return to his character. However, he has an important demand.
Who plays Gimli? The reclusive dwarf with the ambitious will to outshine his friend Legolas in battle is played by John Rhys-Davies. The actor has also been seen in Indiana Jones.
As Gimli, he won the hearts of many fans of Middle-earth. They indeed have plenty of reason to rejoice given the current situation. Not only is a new anime called The Battle of the Rohirrim expected in December 2024, but also a movie about Gollum is officially in the works.
In the latter, familiar faces such as Andy Serkis as Gollum, and perhaps some of the fellowship will return. Is John Rhys-Davies also involved? The actor has provided a clear answer.
The actor is not getting any younger
What does John Rhys-Davies say? In a conversation with Collider, the actor addressed his return as Gimli. When Peter Jackson, who also directed the Lord of the Rings trilogy, was making his Hobbit films, Rhys-Davies was asked, but he declined at that time.
However, the situation has changed now. The technology used in filmmaking is more advanced and allows for some conveniences. Specifically, John Rhys-Davies is bothered by the elaborate makeup that his character requires.
The hours spent sitting in makeup and the prosthetics he had to wear as Gimli did not please the actor. Nowadays, one could forgo practical effects and instead rely on CGI:
The times have changed, and technology has changed; if I don’t have to spend three years of my life sitting in a makeup chair for eight hours a day, I might actually do it. The other thing is that I am physically not able to put on 80 pounds of extra armor and climb mountains.
John Rhys-Davies via collider.com
One must not forget in this discussion: John Rhys-Davies is now 80 years old, and thus the very physical role of the fighting and running Gimli would be a big effort for him.
Is there a final answer? The actor has not revealed whether he is involved in The Hunt for Gollum. Allegedly, he has not yet been asked. However, if the filmmakers forgo traditional makeup and instead use digital technology to transform John Rhys-Davies into a dwarf, that might change. What about his colleague? Viggo Mortensen might return as Aragorn in the new “Lord of the Rings” film – but only under one condition.
