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First look at The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim teases epic battles

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A king stands on top of a pile in his kingdom.
Warner Bros. Pictures

The next Lord of the Rings film to showcase Middle-earth will be The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, an anime fantasy epic from Japanese director Kenji Kamiyama.

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The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim tells the story of Helm Hammerhand, voiced by Succession’s Brian Cox. The War of the Rohirrim is set about 200 years before the events of The Fellowship of the King and follows Helm’s reign, Rohan’s famous king and the eventual namesake for Helm’s Deep.

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“This is the story of the most powerful king in Rohan’s history, someone who defeated his enemies with his bare fists,” Kamiyama said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “Why did his lineage have to end with him? I think there is a lesson in hubris there and also for a need for responsibility and awareness in their power.”

At the Annecy Animation Festival, Warner Bros. Animation, New Line Cinema, and Sola Entertainment previewed 20 minutes of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. According to Variety, the footage received “thunderous applause” and introduced audiences to the movie’s heroine, Princess Héra (Gaia Wise), Helm’s headstrong daughter. With her father, Héra helps defend their kingdom against an army of Dunlendings led by the film’s vengeful antagonist, Wulf (Luke Pasqualino).

'The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim' is an anime prequel film about an important battle in the history of Rohan. Producer Philippa Boyens, director Kenji Kamiyama, and voice actress Gaia Wise tease the film's central characters. https://t.co/WpzWPEd5NR

— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) June 11, 2024

Miranda Otto reprises her role from the Lord of the Rings saga as Éowyn, the narrator of The War of the Rohirrim. Laurence Ubong William and Shaun Dooley voice Fréaláf Hildeson and Freca, respectively.

Directed by Kamiyama, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is written by Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou. Producers include Philippa Boyens, Joseph Chou, and Jason DeMarco. During the panel at Annecy Animation Festival, Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, two of the leading creatives of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, were announced as executive producers on The War of the Rohirrim.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim arrives in theaters on December 13, 2024.

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Dan Girolamo
Dan Girolamo
Entertainment Writer
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