The first trailer for the upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is here, and it shows just how good Middle Earth looks in animation. The anime film acts as a prequel to Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy and it set nearly 200 years before the events of the films telling the epic story of Helm Hammerhand, the king of Rohan and future namesake of the famed Helm’s Deep. Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, The War of the Rohirrim is set for release in theaters on December 13, 2024.
“The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim tells the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan. 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, Héra, the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead the resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their total destruction.”
Brian Cox is voicing King Helm Hammerhand, with Gaia Wise voicing his daughter Héra and Luke Pasqualino as Wulf. In addition, Miranda Otto reprises her role from the original trilogy as Éowyn, who serves as the film’s narrator. It’s her voice you hear in the opening moments of the trailer. Lorraine Ashbourne, Yazdan Qafouri, Benjamin Wainwright, Laurence Ubong Williams, Shaun Dooley, Michael Wildman, Jude Akuwudike, Bilal Hasna, and Janine Duvitski round out the voice cast.
Sola Entertainment leads the animation for The War of the Rohirrim, using Peter Jackson’s interpretation of The Lord of the Rings as direct inspiration. It’s why Meduseld, the Golden Hall of Rohan, looks exactly like it does in The Two Towers as it does in the trailer. The film also takes inspiration from acclaimed anime directors Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki, and it’s easy to see with all the attention to detail and character design.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is the first in a new series of films coming from Warner Bros. Pictures. Two new live-action films are also in development, the first of which is The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum with Andy Serkis set to direct and is tentatively scheduled for 2026.
