The newest entry into The Lord of the Rings cinematic canon will be released in just a few short months. In December of this year, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will grace the big screen eight months after the original release date. The highly-anticipated film will feature an era of Middle-earth that’s never been seen in theaters before, using an unprecedented medium for the IP: anime.
A New Medium for Middle-earth
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will be New Line Cinema’s newest venture into the beloved fantasy IP. This film will mark the first time a Lord of the Rings story has been seen using anime as its medium. Though the 1978 The Lord of the Rings was an animated feature, it was produced using Western animation. For The War of the Rohirrim, the animation has been spearheaded by Sola Digital Arts, a Japanese animation studio. Sola Digital Arts is known for producing well-known anime like Tower of God (2020) and Rick and Morty: The Anime (2024).
In addition to Sola’s involvement, The War of the Rohirrim is directed by experienced anime director Kenji Kamiyama. Kamiyama started as a background artist for praised anime films like Akira (1988) and Studio Ghibli’s Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989). Like most anime, The War of the Rohirrim will use 2D animation. However, 3D elements like motion-capture performances were used as references to give the film a more lifelike feel.
An Unseen Era
The plot of The War of the Rohirrim comes from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Appendix A: Annals of the Kings and Rulers and Appendix B: The Tales of Years. The story will follow Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox), the ninth king of Rohan, and the war against the Dunlending wildmen. It takes place roughly two centuries before the events of the original trilogy. The film is also set to feature Helm’s daughter, Hera (Gaia Wise), as a major player in the conflict.
Unlike previous films, The War of the Rohirrim will focus solely on a conflict between factions of men. It is unlikely to include other races of Middle-earth like elves, dwarves, and hobbits. The story will also largely avoid events with Sauron and the One Ring. It was Philippa Boyens, co-writer of The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, who recommended this film focus on Rohan thanks to its culture and familiarity.
New and Returning Voices
The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim represents a combination of generations in its production. Miranda Otto will reprise her role as Eowyn in the narration of the film. Philippa Boyens returned as producer this time. She had her daughter, Phoebe Gittins, and Arty Papageorgiou re-write the screenplay because she found it important that voices of the new generation be involved. Steven Gallagher, who composed the music for The Hobbit, was brought on to compose the music for The War of the Rohirrim. Richard Taylor of Weta Workshop returned from the original trilogy as the special effects supervisor. Illustrators Alan Lee and John Howe also returned as conceptual designers.
Even amongst all these returning powerhouses, The War of the Rohirrim is set to feature the talents of plenty of fresh faces. Gaia Wise, known for her roles in Last Chance Harvey (2008) and A Walk in the Woods (2015), voiced one of the film’s protagonists Hera Hammerhand. Trained Shakespearian actor Brian Cox, who has an extensive history in theater and franchise films, voiced Helm Hammerhand. Also lending their voice acting talents to the film are Shaun Dooley (Saltburn) as Freca and Luke Pasqualino (Snowpiercer) as Wulf.
Final Thoughts
The unprecedented journey of The Lord of the Rings into the anime medium is an exciting move forward. Kenji Kamiyama and Sola Digital Arts have big shoes to fill for The War of the Rohirrim. Submitting a new feature to The Lord of the Rings canon is no small task. Fortunately, they have several new and returning talents to help pave the way to a critically acclaimed film. These factors promise a well-executed adaptation faithful to and respectful of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work.
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