While Amazon’s upcoming Lord of the Rings series has been a hot topic for conversation for some time, the future of J.R.R. Tolkien’s franchise has never been bound to just one new project. Get ready for something big: an anime film set in Rohan called The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.
Warner Bros. Animation and New Line Cinema have just announced the new, anime-inspired, feature-length film directed by Kenji Kamiyama (Ultraman, Ghost in the Shell SAC_2045) that will venture into Helm’s Deep and focus on the life of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary king of Rohan. Though The War of the Rohirrim will function as a standalone story, the studios describe it as a “companion piece” to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy that will share stylistic elements and feature narrative connections that fans of Tolkien’s books are sure to pick up on. “This will be yet another epic portrayal of J.R.R. Tolkien’s world that has never been told before,” Warner Bros. Animation head Sam Register said. “We’re honoured to partner with much of the incredible talent behind both film trilogies, along with new creative luminaries to tell this story. And so it begins.”
Per the statement, the animation will be handled by Sola Entertainment. Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) have been attached to pen the new movie’s screenplay, and Philippa Boyens, who was part of The Lord of the Ring’s and The Hobbit’s writing teams, has signed on to consult on the new project. While there’s currently no news about casting or when production is set to begin, New Line and Warner Bros. say that it’s “being fast-tracked for the big screen,” meaning that it shouldn’t be too long before we hear more about what to expect.