John Rhys-Davies has disclosed the one condition that would prompt him to return for the next installment in The Lord of the Rings franchise. With The Hunt for Gollum on the horizon, directed by Andy Serkis who’ll also reprise his role as Gollum, and Ian McKellen set to return as Gandalf, there’s speculation about other actors making a comeback, including Rhys-Davies as Gimli.
In an interview, Rhys-Davies revealed that he “might indeed” return to play Gimli, but only if CGI is utilized. He’s reluctant to endure the arduous process of donning the Gimli prosthetic and makeup again, which was a time-consuming affair during the original trilogy. He also mentioned the physical challenges of wearing the heavy armor and climbing mountains that came with the role.
What does this mean for The Hunt for Gollum? While the cast, aside from Serkis and McKellen, remains unconfirmed, Rhys-Davies is open to joining if CGI can recreate Gimli’s appearance. His performance as Gimli was integral to the success of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Bringing Gimli back along with Gollum, Gandalf, and other familiar faces could boost the excitement and potential success of the upcoming movie.
From a narrative perspective, Gimli might not fit as seamlessly as some other characters into the hunt for Gollum story. However, as seen with Legolas in The Hobbit trilogy, familiar characters can be incorporated. Based on Rhys-Davies’ remarks about being asked for The Hobbit, Gimli was nearly added then too.
Our take on Rhys-Davies’ comments is that his condition for returning is reasonable, given the passage of time. If Gimli doesn’t appear in The Hunt for Gollum, he doesn’t have to be a central character. And depending on the story of the other live-action movie in development, Rhys-Davies could potentially return for that instead.
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