The Lord of the Rings: John Rhys-Davis Returns as Gimli in Return to Moria

John Rhys-Davis, known for his role as Gimli in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, will be reprising his iconic character in the upcoming game The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria developed by Free Range Games. Rhys-Davis made the announcement in a new trailer for the game, declaring that “our story is more than Hobbits and Elves know. It’s time we told it ourselves.” In the game, Gimli calls upon dwarves from all over Middle-earth to return to the mines of Moria, also known as Khazad-dûm or Dwarrowdelf, which played a significant role in The Fellowship of the Ring movie when the party encountered the Balrog while traveling through the mines to escape the mountains.

John Rhys-Davis on Return to Moria

Reflecting on his return to the role of Gimli, Rhys-Davis expressed his excitement by saying, “It’s always fun to come back and think of the ‘what-ifs,’ and the chance to work on this game is an exploration of one of the what-ifs, isn’t it? Actors often create characters out of love and it’s very hard, sometimes, to let them go. Certainly, Gimli is, for me, a character that I really adore, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity to reprise him in a different context.”

The Game: Return to Moria

Return to Moria is a cooperative survival game that supports up to eight players. In the game, players are tasked with building a base, mining for resources, crafting items, and ultimately restoring the grandeur of the halls in Moria. Although the Balrog is synonymous with Moria, Free Range Games decided to remain faithful to the canon and kept the Balrog’s defeat at the hands of Gandalf. The game is set in the Fourth Age of Middle-earth, following the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s original books.

Return to Moria will be digitally released for PlayStation 5 and PC on October 24, with the physical copy for PS5 arriving on December 5. Unfortunately, Xbox Series X|S players will have to wait until 2024 for a port of the game.