Warner Bros. has officially unveiled the trailer for the highly anticipated anime feature film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, scheduled to premiere on December 13, 2024. This latest addition to the Middle-earth saga, released on Warner Bros.’s official YouTube channel, offers a fresh perspective on the epic world created by J.R.R. Tolkien.
Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, The War of the Rohirrim is set 261 years before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring. The film centers on Helm Hammerhand, a legendary figure from Tolkien’s appendices of The Lord of the Rings, according to Variety. The story delves into the origins of Helm’s Deep, the iconic stronghold featured in the original trilogy, and showcases Helm’s defense against a formidable army of Dunlendings.
The voice cast is led by Brian Cox, who portrays the revered King of Rohan, Helm Hammerhand, while Miranda Otto reprises her role as Éowyn from Peter Jackson’s film trilogy. The animated film also features Gaia Wise, Luke Pasqualino, Laurence Ubong Williams, and Shaun Dooley in key roles.
The script, written by Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou, is based on a story by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, as reported by Variety. The film is a collaborative effort between Warner Bros. Animation, New Line Cinema, and Sola Entertainment, with Warner Bros. overseeing distribution. Joseph Chou of Sola Entertainment produces the film, while Phillippa Boyens, a co-writer of Jackson’s film trilogy, serves as an executive producer.
The creative team behind The War of the Rohirrim includes notable contributors from the original LOTR trilogy, such as Richard Taylor, Alan Lee, and Tolkien illustrator John Howe. Kamiyama, known for his work on Blade Runner: Black Lotus and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, brings his expertise to this new Middle-earth adventure, promising a visually stunning and action-packed exploration of Tolkien’s lore.
As fans eagerly await this new release, they can also look forward to season 2 of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which continues the Middle-earth saga but operates independently from this animated feature.
