“The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim” — the original anime feature from New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Animation — is set for release in 2024 from Warner Bros.
After the huge success of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit Trilogy, it’s going to be really hard to match the excitement and passion for Tolkien’s stories. Peter Jackson’s version of J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world is a huge masterpiece and a movie experience that can’t be duplicated. Even though the original movies are nostalgic, there are still a lot of unexplored parts and different times in Middle-earth. It would be a shame not to consider adapting more of Tolkien’s work.
Thankfully, fans got to enjoy the timeless fantasy tale once more with Prime Video’s epic prequel series, The Rings of Power. This saga is set thousands of years before the main movies’ events. Given the incredible success of the franchise, it only makes sense to explore more from the source material. Warner Bros. plans to do just that as they still have the rights to the distributed LOTR movies. This allows fans to relive one of the greatest stories ever told, but this time through a different format.
What Is The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim About?
The world of The Lord of the Rings is getting bigger with a new animated project called The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. This high-budget project aims to bring back the enchantment of Tolkien’s stories and shed light on the complex history of the Kingdom of Rohan. Turning one of the most successful and praised franchises into an anime is a surprising and daring move. One of the main reasons The Lord of the Rings was a huge success was its amazing CGI for its time and the impressive mix of film and effects. It’s still sinking in for many fans that the next significant development in the franchise will be an animated movie.
Initially scheduled for an early 2024 release, the movie’s debut had to be postponed due to production delays caused by a now-finished actors’ strike. With the film’s development now back on track, fans can look forward to the upcoming release, expecting nothing less than another exceptional work of art from the realms of fantastic excellence.
How Long Before Lord Of The Rings Is War Of The Rohirrim Set?
True to its name, the movie will delve into the powerful kingdom of Rohan, a key player in the battle against Sauron in The Two Towers. Reportedly, the storyline will center around Rohan’s elite army, known as the Rohirrim. The film is set approximately 183 years before the events of LOTR: The Two Towers, focusing on the legendary ninth king of Rohan, Helm Hammerhand. Fans can also expect to learn about the history of Helm’s Deep, the iconic fortress that played a significant role in aiding Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and the rest of Rohan in The Two Towers against Sauron’s army.
The story will also center on the backstory of the war between Rohan and the Dunlendings, a tribe of wild men residing on the fringes of Rohan. As shared during a panel at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2023, the conflict in the storyline kicks off with a Dunlending leader named Freca. With his Rohirric heritage, Freca will assert his right to the throne and propose a union between his son Wulf and Helm’s daughter Hera.
The Voice cast
The majority of the cast for The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim has been revealed.
Helm Hammerhand – Brian Cox
The Succession patriarch will be playing the Rohan leader in War of the Rohirrim. Before he was the face of corporate corruption on cable, Cox spent six decades in projects as eclectic as Shakespeare and Super Troopers. Between those extremes, Cox performed in the likes of Rob Roy, Manhunter, Braveheart, Zodiac, X-Men 2, Adaptation, and Nuremberg, for which he won an Emmy. As Helm, Cox will defend his kingdom at a gorge whose name becomes Helm’s Deep. The face of corporate greed will soon be the voice of regal resilience.
Hera – Gaia Wise
Wise is attached to play Hera, the daughter of Helm and reluctant hero of the resistance. The 22-year-old has appeared in only a handful of projects, the most famous of which is A Walk in the Woods, starring Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, and Emma Thompson. She is the daughter of Thompson and fellow actor Greg Wise.
Wulf – Luke Pasqualino
The enemy of Helm, Hera, and the rest of the Rohirrim people is Wulf, who will be voiced by the 32-year-old Luke Pasqualino. The actor’s credits include the series Skins, The Borgias, and Our Girl, as well as the movies The Apparition, Snowpiercer, and The Gandhi Murder. Pasqualino’s character is described by Deadline as a “clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father.”
Éowyn – Miranda Otto
Otto is ostensibly the only actor reprising their role from the original trilogy. As you likely remember, Éowyn is the Rohan noblewoman who disguises herself as a man to kill the Witch-King of Angmar in Return of the King. She will narrate War of the Rohirrim. Between LOTR franchises, Otto acted in dozens of projects, among which are War of the Worlds, Homeland, and The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,
Fréaláf Hildeson – Laurence Ubong Williams
Williams will be playing Fréaláf, the nephew and successor of the Succession star’s Helm. With 10 other credits on IMDb, Williams doesn’t have the career that Cox has, but perhaps by the time War of the Rohirrim rolls around, he will have succeeded Cox in fiction and in reality.
Freca – Shaun Dooley
Freca is the father of Dunlending antagonist Wulf. He will be voiced by Shaun Dooley, whose previous voice acting credits include the documentary series Britain’s Underworld and the video games Elden Ring and Xenoblade Chronicles 3.
Lord Frygt – Alex Jordan
Lord Frygt seems to be a brand new resident of Middle-earth, so we don’t know anything about them. What we do know is that they will be played with authority by Alex Jordan, who, aside from Cox, is the most accomplished voiceover artist in the cast. His voice has been heard in everything from the video game Game of Thrones: A Telltale Games Series to the series The Amazing World of Gumball.
Undisclosed roles
Several actors have been announced for the film in yet-to-be-announced roles. These are Yazdan Qafouri, Michael Wildman, Jude Akuwudike, Bilal Hasna, Lorraine Ashbourne, Benjamin Wainwright, and Janine Duvitski.
Who’s Making the Animated Movie?
Renowned anime director Kenji Kamiyama, known for his work on popular anime series like Ghost in the Shell and Ultraman, as well as contributions to classics such as Akira and Kiki’s Delivery Service, is helming the film. This marks his second collaboration with Warner Bros., following his work on the Blade Runner anime series, Blade Runner: Black Lotus. The screenplay is crafted by Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou, adapting a story by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews. Joseph Chou is the producer, and the film’s Executive Producers include Carolyn Blackwood, Philippa Boyens, Richard Brinner, Jason DeMarco, and Sam Register.
Lord Of The Rings: War Of The Rohirrim Release Date
The release date for The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim is officially set for December 13, 2024. New Line first announced the project in June 2021, and the production of this Middle-earth anime is currently in progress. SOLA Digital Arts, known for their work on Blade Runner: Black Lotus, is handling the animation. Additionally, illustrators Alan Lee and John Howe, who contributed to the original trilogy, are part of the creative team.
