Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings film series, which was released between 2001 and 2003, was the first big-budget, live-action adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s book trilogy of the same name. However, The Lord of the Rings was actually being adapted for film as far back as 1977. The very first adaptation was a musical animated TV special, The Hobbit, which was broadcast on NBC in 1977. By 1980, a sequel, The Return of the King, was also released. Meanwhile, in 1978, Ralph Bakshi would also debut his own animated adaptation titled The Lord of the Rings, which Jackson would later use as inspiration for his film series.
It isn’t surprising that the first adaptation of The Lord of the Rings was animated, as live-action filmmaking wasn’t quite advanced enough back then to wholly capture the grandeur of Tolkien’s work. That’s why it wasn’t until 2001 that Jackson began adapting the Lord of the Rings and, later, The Hobbit. After his film series attained high critical and commercial success, many questioned if there would ever be another adaptation to compete with such a groundbreaking and historical film series. Less than a decade after The Hobbit concluded, though, Amazon dropped its own big-budget live-action adaptation of Tolkien’s work with the prequel series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which is preparing to debut its second season.
Now, yet another Lord of the Rings prequel project is on the horizon—The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. This project is going back to the franchise’s cinematic roots and will be an animated fantasy film. Warner Bros. Animation and New Line Cinema are partnering with Sola Entertainment to bring this animated adaptation to the big screen. It seems the film will have both Lord of the Rings and anime influence inspiring it, as notable anime direct Kenji Kamiyama is set to direct and The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit films’ co-writer, Philippa Boyen, will serve as executive producer. Here’s everything we know about The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim so far.
The War of the Rohirrim release date
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will premiere on December 13, 2024. However, it was initially set to premiere on April 12, 2024, with New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. reportedly fast-tracking the film to get it released by early 2024. Due to the ongoing Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike, though, the film has been delayed for 10 months. The delay was due to Warner Bros. mixing up its entire release schedule due to the ongoing strike.
Sony was one of the first studios to rearrange its schedule and delay a handful of films, with Warner Bros. following shortly after. Dune: Part Two was delayed, resulting in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire being pushed from March to April 12, 2024. With its initial spot taken, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim was pushed to December. While a chain reaction of delays seems to be the major prompter of the delay, it’s unclear if the SAG-AFTRA strike may also impact voice acting or other aspects of the film’s production. With actors refusing to participate in production or post-production in solidarity with the strike, until studios agree to pay and protect their workers, both films that have been completed and that are still in development have been facing significant delays.
The War of the Rohirrim cast
Scottish actor Brian Cox leads the cast of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. Cox has a long history in film, TV, and theatre, with a slew of accolades to his name, and is currently a fan-favorite on Succession. He will be voicing the main protagonist, Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan. Rohan is a kingdom set in Tolkien’s Middle-earth best known for producing horsemen, known as the Rohirrim, thus, supplying their allies with calvary.
Most excitingly, Miranda Otta, who portrayed Éowyn in The Lord of the Rings trilogy, will be reprising her role for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Rohirrim. She serves as the narrator of the series, long before her adventures with Frodo and his gang.
Meanwhile, Emma Thompson’s daughter, Gaia Wise, will be joining the film as Hera, the daughter of Hammerhand. Rounding out the Hammerhand family is Laurence Ubong Williams who has joined the cast as Fréaláf Hildeson, Helm’s nephew and successor. Luke Pasqualino, known for appearing in Snowpiercer and Shadow and Bone, will portray Wulf, the leader of the Dunlendings and Dunland, and the opponent of Helm. English actor Shaun Dooley will portray Wulf’s father, Freca.
Additionally, Jude Akuwudike, Lorraine Ashbourne, Janine Duvitski, Bilal Hasna, Yazdan Qafouri, Benjamin Wainwright, and Michael Wildman have all been cast in undisclosed roles.
The War of the Rohirrim trailer
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim has not released a trailer yet. However, they did treat viewers to the first-look concept art image shown above. If the film’s title didn’t already give it away, the concept art shows the Rohirrim deep in the throes of war. What is depicted appears to be the opposing side, who are breaking into the Kingdom of Rohan. Aiding the army is a Mûmakil, or Oliphant, which is an enormous elephant-like creature often utilized in war by the Haradrim. This makes us think the army depicted is that of the Harad, a kingdom south of Gondor that was later corrupted by Sauron.
If the Haradrim are present in this concept art, it certainly suggests that this war in Rohirrim is no ordinary war. So far, there are already three sides involved in the war—Rohan, Harad, and Dunland. This suggests a very cataclysmic war with the potential to set the stage for the state of Middle-earth that we later see in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
The War of the Rohirrim plot
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, is a prequel film, based loosely on the appendices by Tolkien, that takes place 183 years before the events of The Lord of the Rings. According to IMDb, the synopsis for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim reads:
The untold story behind Helm’s Deep, hundreds of years before the fateful war, telling the life and bloodsoaked times of its founder, Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan.
Hence, the film will largely focus on the story of Rohan and its ninth King, Hammerhand. Hammerhand was a legendary king, but his reign was rife with chaos as his kingdom faced warfare with the Dunlendings. In particular, the film will explore how Hammerhand defeated Freca, one of the lords of the Dunlendings, who sought the throne of Rothan. However, this incident led Wulf, Freca’s son, to set out in search of vengeance against Hammerhand and the Kingdom of Rohan.
With the Kingdom of Rohan under attack, it is up to Hammerhand and his daughter to fight back and save their people. Ultimately, the film will tell a lesser-known tale of the people of Rohan, their leader, and the valiant fight they put up to save their kingdom. It will also explore the long-lasting impact of the conflict and what led the Rohan down the path they are seen on in The Lord of the Rings.
(featured image: New Line Cinema)
