Lord Of The Rings: War Of The Rohirrim

The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim will be the franchise’s first foray into animation in decades, and there’s a tone of exciting information about the upcoming film. Though J.R.R. Tolkien is predominantly known for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, his Middle-earth mythology runs much deeper, reading something like a history book but with dragons, orcs, and dangerous jewelry. Even though Amazon’s The Rings of Power is enjoying more column inches in the Lord of the Rings prequel stakes, another pre-Bilbo project is currently in development.

Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim represents a stark departure from the Tolkien fare mainstream audiences are familiar with, but given New Line’s success previously, there’s still plenty of buzz around the upcoming animation. Although Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim will touch upon an as-yet-unexplored corner of the beloved fantasy franchise, there’s still plenty of anticipation for the next adventure into Tolkien’s universe.

Related

2024’s Lord Of The Rings Movie Explained: What “War Of The Rohirrim” Means

Set many years before the events of The Lord of the Rings, the War of the Rohirrim follows one of the most influential leaders in Rohan’s history.

Lord Of The Rings: War Of The Rohirrim Latest News

The Opening Scene Has Been Released For Early Viewing

With the return to Middle-earth coming soon, the latest news comes in the form of an extended opening scene from War of the Rohirrim. The clip comes courtesy of IGN, and showcases an 8-minute sequence from the upcoming Lord of the Rings animated film. Besides showing off the movie’s impressive visuals, it also introduces the major players, including the fierce warrior, Helm Hammerhand. The clip also concludes with a brief look at other scenes, including a few familiar locations in Rohan.

Click this link to view the opening scene from Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim

Lord Of The Rings: War Of The Rohirrim Release Date

The Anime Prequel Arrives In December

Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim is now confirmed for a December 13, 2024 release. New Line’s initial announcement came in June 2021, but the film faced several delays including the 2023 Hollywood strikes. SOLA Digital Arts (Blade Runner: Black Lotus) provides the animation, and illustrators Alan Lee and John Howe, who worked on the original trilogy, are part of the creative team.

New Line Cinema announced during the celebration of the 20th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring that it was their intention to fast-track production on the animated Lord of the Rings prequel movie. Kenji Kamiyama was tapped to direct and the official screenplay was written by Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou.

Lord Of The Rings: War Of The Rohirrim Cast

Brian Cox Leads The Voice Cast

Most of the Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim cast has been announced. The major players have all been cast, but nearly everyone else is in undisclosed roles. Coming fresh out of Succession‘s success, Brian Cox leads the voice cast as Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan. In addition, Miranda Otto will be narrating the film as her Lord of the Rings role, Éowyn. Gaia Wise (Silent Witness) will play Helm’s daughter Hera while Luke Pasqualino (Skins) plays Wulf, the antagonistic leader of the Dunlendings.

Christopher Lee is set to reprise his role as the wizard Saruman in the animated film, though the size of his role is currently unclear. Lee passed away in 2015 at the age of 93, but his vocal performance will be based on previously-recorded lines from The Hobbit trilogy. From a story perspective, Saruman was alive during the time of The War of the Rohirrim, but he wasn’t the villainous ally of Sauron quite yet.

The known cast of The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim includes:

Actor	War of the Rohirrim Role
Brian Cox	Helm Hammerhand
Miranda Otto	Éowyn
Luke Pasqualino	Wulf
Gaia Wise	Hera Hammerhand
Laurence Ubong Williams	Fréaláf Hildeson
Shaun Dooley	Freca
Christopher Lee	Saruman
Benjamin Wainwright	Unknown
Michael Wildman	Unknown
Jude Akuwudike	Unknown
Bilal Hasna	Unknown
Janine Duvitski	Unknown
Lorraine Ashbourne	Unknown
Yazdan Qafouri	Unknown

Lord Of The Rings: War Of The Rohirrim Story Details

An Epic Battle Is Expected

Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim will tell the story of Helm Hammerhand, who was crowned King of Rohan in 2741. Hammerhand presided over Rohan when the realm was warring against local Dunlendings – wild mortal men who later supported Saruman during The Lord of the Rings. The Dunlendings’ King Freca demanded his son, Wulf, be wed to Helm’s daughter. Not taking well to threats, Helm killed King Freca with his bare fists, triggering a war between clans.

How Long Before Lord Of The Rings Is War Of The Rohirrim Set?

The Prequel’s Timeline Explained

Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim is set around 2758 of the Third Age, whereas The Lord of the Rings begins in 3018, putting 250 years between the upcoming anime and Peter Jackson’s iconic trilogy. Sauron is still recovering within Dol Guldur, even though the Dark Lord’s influence can still be felt throughout Middle-earth. Many of the Fellowship haven’t been born yet, but characters around during this era include Gandalf, Galadriel, Elrond, Legolas, and Saruman. Miranda Otto’s Éowyn will be the narrator, but her character was not alive during the events of War of the Rohirrim.

Lord Of The Rings: War Of The Rohirrim Trailer

Watch The Full Trailer Below

In anticipation of the movie’s December release date, Warner Bros. has debuted a full-length trailer for The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim. After showing nostalgic footage of the classic live-action movies, the trailer transitions to animation and introduces the conflict between Helm Hammerhand and the Dunlendings (via narration from Miranda Otto as Éowyn). Massive battle sequences are teased, and the trailer features as small glimpse of the One Ring as an extra tease.

Set before the events of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an animated action-adventure fantasy film that follows a King of Rohan named Helm Hammerhand. When his home comes under siege by Dunlendings, Hammerhand prepares himself and his allies to fight back against them, with the war leading to the eventual establishment of Helm’s Deep.

Director

Kenji Kamiyama

Release Date

December 13, 2024

Studio(s)

New Line Cinema , Warner Bros. Animation , Sola Entertainment

Distributor(s)

Warner Bros. Pictures

Runtime

134 Minutes

Expand