Variety has just given us our first look at Warner Bros.‘s upcoming original anime feature, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.
The War of the Rohirrim is in development at New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Animation. It is set “roughly two centuries before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings” and “will explore the exploits of Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan, and the creation of Helm’s Deep.”
Kenji Kamiyama (Blade Runner: Black Lotus) is directing with producer Joseph Chou through his anime studio Sola Entertainment, which has been working on the film since June of last year. Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou are penning the screenplay based on a script from Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews.
The creative team also includes Richard Taylor and Alan Lee, who both won Oscars for their work on Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, and Tolkien illustrator John Howe. Variety adds that voice cast announcements are expected soon.
In a statement, Warner Bros. Pictures Group 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.”
Warner Bros. has set an April 12, 2024 release date for The War of the Rohirrim.
What do you think of the first look? Do you think this will be better than Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy? Better than Amazon’s upcoming The Rings of Power series? Tell us down in the comments!
