The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim It’s been in the works for about three years, but with its release date fast approaching, we now have our first trailer. It’s one of the more unusual and intriguing projects in the Lord of the Rings franchise, a standalone anime-style film covering events in the kingdom of Rohan some 200 years before the War of the Ring.
The trailer opens with some iconic footage from the 2000s Lord of the Rings films focusing on Rohan before diving into the animation. It’s immediately obvious that this project is connected to Peter Jackson’s films, as the designs of key areas like Edoras and Helm’s Deep clearly reference those earlier films despite the distinctly different style. As for characters, we’re introduced to King Helm Hammerhand and his daughter Hera, who, judging by the trailer, will likely be our main protagonist. It seems that an attempt to marry her off goes awry, angering the pretender Wulf’s family – things get decidedly more tense after that, with plenty of action and Oliphaunts and, naturally, some teases of Ring-related events to come.
The film is directed by Kenji Kamiyama, who has been a writer and director of several anime, including Ghost in the Shell: Standalone Complex and Eden of the EastHe has also directed episodes of Star Wars: Visions and Ultraman. Most of the cast has yet to be revealed, but we do know that Brian Cox will voice King Hammerhand, while Gaia Wise will voice his daughter Hera. Miranda Otto will also reprise her role from the Lord of the Rings films as Éowyn, who will serve as the story's narrator.
The film is set for release on December 13 and is the first of several Lord of the Rings films in development. Andy Serkis, perhaps best known for his performance as Gollum in Jackson's Middle-earth films, is directing a new film tentatively titled The Hunt for Gollum. While that movie is still years away, fans will also get to see Middle-earth on screen in a week, when season two of amazon's The Walking Dead arrives. The Lord of the Rings: The rings of power premieres.
