Lord Of The Rings Star John Rhys-Davies Has One Condition To Return As Gimli

Middle-earth cinema is abuzz with projects at the moment — including multiple new additions to Peter Jackson's adaptive take on J.R.R. Tolkien's world. The resurrection of Jackson's work a decade after the release of his "Hobbit" trilogy and two decades after his "Lord of the Rings" movies premiered has led to a flood of questions about what actors could return to reprise their roles on the silver screen. Actor Miranda Otto is already narrating as Éwoyn in the anime film "The War of the Rohirrim," while Ian McKellen has also hinted that he is in talks to return in a future project as Gandalf. Other potential returning players include Orlando Bloom as Legolas, Elijah Wood as Frodo, Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn, and now John Rhys-Davies as Gimli.

Davies voiced his willingness to return in a recent interview, clarifying that he didn't come back for the "Hobbit" films because he didn't want to deal with the horror story of spending all day being plastered with makeup and prosthetics — a process that led to allergic reactions and left the actor feeling physically ill.

Fortunately, times have moved on and methods have improved. Davies referenced this himself and said it was a major reason he would consider returning to the franchise. As he explained to Collider:

"If they invited me ... oh god, could I dare to put on that make-up again and lose my skin? Maybe with CGI. [...] Times have moved on and technology has moved on, if I don't have to spend eight hours a day for three years of my life in a make-up chair, I might indeed do it."

Davies added that costumes are also a concern (especially Dwarven ones), stating, "The other thing is physically I am no longer capable of putting 80 pounds of extra armor and stuff on and climbing up mountains."

Jackson himself could resonate with the intense and exhausting process of transforming into a Dwarf, having cameoed as one in a brief scene in "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey." The question is, if Davies' conditions are met and he were to come back, how would his character fit into a future story?

While there are several Middle-earth projects in the works at the moment, the most likely spot for a Gimli return would be Warner Bros.' upcoming "The Hunt for Gollum" movie. The film has Peter Jackson attached as a producer, and Andy Serkis will be directing and presumably reprising his role as the tortured, Ring-obsessed Sméagol. The story would take place between the end of the "Hobbit" story and the beginning of "The Fellowship of the Ring."

Gollum's actions during this time are recounted by Gandalf in the book "The Fellowship of the Ring," where he tells Frodo that after Bilbo stole the One Ring, Gollum eventually left his subterranean home to track down the thief. He wandered across Middle-earth in search of "Shire" and "Baggins," and has run-ins with Aragorn, Gandalf, the Wood-elves, and Sauron. He also visited the Lonely Mountain, which is where Gimli could factor into the story (albeit briefly).

In the book, Gandalf simply says of this part of Gollum's journey, "I gathered that his padding feet had taken him at last to Esgaroth, and even to the streets of Dale, listening secretly and peering." The Wizard adds that Gollum easily learns about the Battle of Five Armies and Bilbo's return journey to the Shire, which prompts him to move on. Dale and Esgaroth are human towns right next to the Lonely Mountain, which makes a Gimli cameo an easy way to work Davies back into the story if he can manage to get back into character and costume.

As far as Gimli's age at this point in the story, the stars line up there, too. The Dwarf is a meager 140 years old during the War of the Ring, which breaks out roughly 80 years after Bilbo's adventure, so even the longest gap in time would put him at 60 years old — very young for a Dwarf, but definitely alive.

What other movie adaptations could feature Gimli? Unfortunately, there aren't too many other candidates that fit the bill of the long-lived but mortal character. For instance, he isn't born yet during the events of the "War of the Rohirrim" anime, nor are his people involved in that story. Amazon Studios is also presumably gearing up to make season 3 of its "The Rings of Power" series now that season 2 is complete, but that story occurs thousands of years before Gimli is even a twinkle in Gloin's eye.

Really, the only easy shot for Davies to return as Gimli is in another Warner Bros. film in the future. The studio has made it clear that it has at least one other live-action movie in the works, and others are likely coming behind that one. Even here, though, Gimli's young Dwarven age makes it hard to see him returning in other Middle-earth stories. We know where he is during "The Lord of the Rings" and other major Dwarven events, like the War of the Dwarves and the Orcs (depicted in a flashback in "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"), also predate his life. Unless WB wants to make a Legolas and Gimli bromance flick that traces their later stories, really, "The Hunt for Gollum" is one of the best chances to work Gimli back into Middle-earth cinema within a reasonable premise. Let's hope Serkis, Jackson, and company can figure out the right conditions to get Davies back on set for one more Middle-earth hurrah.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum" is slated to arrive in 2026.