If you’re a big fan of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, we’ve got good news for you. Announced today alongside the reveal of The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria opening cinematic, storied actor John Rhys-Davies will be reprising his iconic role as Lord Gimli Lockbearer in the upcoming co-op survival game when it launches on October 24.

First things first, take a look at the opening cinematic, complete with Rhys-Davies’ narration:

In a press release published earlier today, John Rhys-Davies had this to say about returning to his iconic role:

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.

Chris Scholz, CEO of developer Free Range Games, had this to say in response to Rhys-Davies’ casting:

Authenticity is a cornerstone of The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria and when it came to casting Gimli, there was only one name everyone wanted. It’s been an honor, a privilege, and a dream to have Mr. John Rhys-Davies reprise this iconic role.

Popular YouTube channel Nerd of the Rings will be hosting an interview with Rhys-Davies today, October 17, 2023, at 9am PDT/12pm EDT/12am HKT. You can tune into the livestream or catch the VOD of it at this link. We’ll be sure to update our readers on any exciting news of the game from the interview.

The Lord of the Rings: Return to Moria launches on October 24 for PS5 and PC. The Xbox Series X|S version will release sometime in early 2024.

More LOTR Reading:

• The Lord of The Rings Game “Tales of the Shire” Announced by Private Division and Wētā Workshop
• Report: The Lord of the Rings: Gollum Apology Was Written Entirely by AI
• New The Lord of the Rings MMORPG to Be Developed by Amazon Games