The Lord of the Rings actor John Rhys-Davis returns as Gimli in The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria.
Per Eurogamer, Rhys-Davis will voice Gimli in Free Range Games‘ upcoming Return to Moria. A new trailer revealed Rhys-Davis as Gimli declaring that “our story is more than Hobbits and Elves know. It’s time we told it ourselves.” Gimli calls dwarves from across Middle-earth to return to the mines of Moria, also known as Khazad-dûm or Dwarrowdelf. The location featured prominently in The Fellowship of the Ring. In that film, the party traveled that way to escape the mountains — only to encounter the Balrog.
John Rhys-Davis’ Return to Moria
“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?” Rhys-Davis said. “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.”
Return to Moria is a survival co-op for up to eight players. Players build a base and mine, craft, and ultimately work to return the famed halls to their former glory. Despite how synonymous Moria has become with the Balrog, it does not feature in the game. Free Range said it wanted to remain faithful to canon, so it kept the Balrog’s defeat at the hands of Gandalf. The Lord of the Rings game takes place in the Fourth Age of Middle-earth, after the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s books.
Return to Moria launches digitally for the PlayStation 5 and PC on October 24. The physical copy for PS5 comes out on December 5. An Xbox Series X|S port won’t come out until sometime in 2024.
