We’ll soon be travelling back to Middle-Earth with the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, but the Amazon TV series isn’t the only Lord of the Rings project on the horizon. New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Animation announced last year that they were developing a Lord of the Rings anime movie — The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.
It was revealed today that The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will be released on April 12, 2024. The Lord of the Rings anime movie will be set around two centuries before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and explore and expand the “untold story behind the fortress of Helm’s Deep, delving into the life and bloodsoaked times of one of Middle-earth’s most legendary figures; the mighty King of Rohan – Helm Hammerhand.” A piece of concept art for the movie was also released, which you can check out below.
Kenji Kamiyama (Blade Runner: Black Lotus) is directing The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim with Philippa Boyens, co-writer of Peter Jackson’s Middle-Earth movies, serving as an executive producer. “I’m in awe of the creative talent who have come together to bring this epic, heart-pounding story to life, from the mastery of Kenji Kamiyama to a truly stellar cast. I cannot wait to share this adventure with fans of cinema everywhere,” Boyens said in a statement. Phoebe Gittens and Arty Papageorgiou penned the screenplay based on a script from Jeffrey Addiss & Will Matthews. Weta Workshop founder Richard Taylor and Tolkien illustrator John Howe, who both worked on the Peter Jackson movies, are also part of the creative team. In a statement, Warner Bros. Chairman Toby Emmerich said:
The ‘Lord of the Rings’ films took Tolkien’s masterwork to new cinematic heights and inspired a generation. It’s a gift to be able to revisit Middle-earth with many of the same creative visionaries and the talented Kenji Kamiyama at the helm. This will be an epic portrayal unlike anything audiences have ever seen.
The Lord of the Rings anime movie has been underway since last year and we can expect some “exciting voice casting” to be announced shortly. Before The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim hits theaters on April 12, 2024, we’ll see The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power debut on Prime Video on September 2, 2022.