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A Lord of the Rings anime film from Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell) and Warner Bros. Animation is on the way, and its story will focus on the King of Rohan.
The movie is called The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, and it “expands 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.”
The standalone movie is produced by Joseph Chou (Blade Runner: Black Lotus), while Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) wrote the script. Philippa Boyens, one of the Oscar-winning writers on Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings series, is attached to the anime as a consultant.
While the movie is described as a standalone production, it’s also referred to by Warner Bros. as a “companion piece” to Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. It will have “story and artistic elements” that may be familiar to fans of Jackson’s series.
“All of us at New Line feel a deep affinity for the extraordinary world J.R.R. Tolkien created, so the opportunity to dive back into Middle-earth with the team at Warner Bros. Animation is a dream come true,” New Line bosses Carolyn Blackwood and Richard Brener said. “Fans know Helm’s Deep as the stage for one of the greatest battles ever put to film and, with many of the same creative visionaries involved and the brilliant Kenji Kamiyama at the helm, we couldn’t be more excited to deliver a fresh vision of its history that will invite global audiences to experience the rich, complex saga of Middle-earth in a thrilling new way.”
“This will be yet another epic portrayal of J.R.R. Tolkien’s world that has never been told before. We’re honored to partner with much of the incredible talent behind both film trilogies, along with new creative luminaries to tell this story,” Warner Bros. Animation president Sam Register said. “And so it begins.”
Warner Bros. says the movie is being “fast-tracked” as the studio prepares to release it in theaters. Sola Entertainment is working on the animation, while voice casting is now underway.
2021 marks the 20th anniversary of Jackson’s Fellowship of the Ring. Amazon is currently producing a big-budget Lord of the Rings TV show, while two of the Hobbits from Jackson’s trilogy now have their own podcast.
