The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is a new animated movie set to plunge Tolkien fans back into a climactic battle from Middle-earth's past.
Billed as a companion piece to director Peter Jackson's iconic movie trilogies, The War of the Rohirrim will connect back to the original Lord of the Rings movies with "story and artistic elements woven throughout that will reconnect fans to the excitement and cinematic wonder of Middle-earth", according to a WarnerMedia press release.
It's totally separate from the stories set to explored in Amazon's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power later this year, meaning this co-production from New Line Cinema and Warner Bros Animation is yet another Tolkien treat to look forward to!
Here's everything we know about The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim so far...
The War of the Rohirrim release date
Tolkien Fans will be pleased to know we already have a release date lined up. The bad news is that the movie has been slated for a theatrical release on Friday, April 12, 2024, so we've got a long wait ahead of us.
The War of the Rohirrim plot
When the movie was first announced in June 2021, Warner Bros released a synopsis that made it clear the movie centers on the fortress of Helm's Deep which was the site of that climactic battle from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
The synopsis said: "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim explores and expands the untold story behind the fortress of Helm’s Deep, delving into the life and bloodsoaked times of one of Middle-earth’s most legendary figures; the mighty King of Rohan - Helm Hammerhand."
On June 15, Deadline also revealed offered up a little bit more info about the new movie. According to their report, The War of the Rohirrim is set 183 years before the events of Peter Jackson's trilogy. Their summary of the film reads:
"A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg – a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm’s Deep. Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Hera, the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead the resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their total destruction."
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim cast
The voice cast for The War of the Rohirrim has finally been released, and it's packed full of stars (via Deadline)
Succession star Brian Cox is providing the voice of the King of Rohan, Helm Hammerhand, whilst Gaia Wise (A Walk in the Woods) will voice Helm's daughter Hera and Luke Pasqualino (Snowpiercer) will lend his voice to Wulf.
Along with the announcement, New Line Cinema provided another piece of concept art for the film, which you can see below:
🚨BREAKING: Brian Cox will voice the King of Rohan in ‘THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM’ anime film. pic.twitter.com/6O3kWBS5vvJune 15, 2022
Lord of the Rings alum Miranda Otto is also set to reprise her role as Éowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan for The War of the Rohirrim, as Éowyn will serve as the movie's narrator.
The voice cast also includes Lorraine Ashbourne (Bridgerton), Yazdan Qafouri (I Came By), Benjamin Wainwright (World on Fire), Laurence Ubong Williams (Gateway), Shaun Dooley (The Witcher), Michael Wildman (Hobbs & Shaw), Jude Akuwudike (Beasts of No Nation), Bilal Hasna (Sparks) and Janine Duvitski (Benidorm).
Who's directing The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim?
Kenji Kamiyama (Blade Runner: Black Lotus, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) has been signed on to direct The War of the Rohirrim.
Joseph Chou (producer, Blade Runner: Black Lotus) is producing The War of the Rohirrim through his anime studio Sola Entertainment; they have been working on the film since it was announced back in June 2021.
Who else is on the creative team?
Philippa Boyens (part of the Oscar-winning screenwriting team behind The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies) is executive producing the film, with her daughter Phoebe Gittins and her writing partner Arty Papageorgiou writing the screenplay based on a script from Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews.
Richard Taylor (who won Oscars for his work in makeup and visual effects for The Lord of the Rings), Alan Lee (who won an art direction Oscar for the original trilogy) and Tolkien illustrator John Howe are also on board.
The War of the Rohirrim trailer
Given we're just under two years out from the release date for The War of the Rohirrim, we doubt we'll be seeing a trailer anytime soon.
As and when one arrives, we'll be sure to update this guide!
