Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim Trailer: Middle-earth Gets Anime Prequel With War

More Middle-earth action awaits: Warner Bros. has released the trailer for the anime feature film “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” set to be released on Dec. 13.

Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, “The War of the Rohirrim” takes place 261 years before the epic events of “The Fellowship of the Ring.” Featuring Helm Hammerhand as the protagonist, the film is based on a story by J.R.R. Tolkien included in the appendices of “The Lord of the Rings.”

Brian Cox voices the iconic King of Rohan, while Miranda Otto, who starred in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy, returns to lend her voice to her original character Eowyn. In the new animated film, the king must defend his land against an army of Dunlendings, in an origin story revealing how the stronghold Helm’s Deep got its name.

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Additional cast members include Gaia Wise, Luke Pasqualino, Laurence Ubong Williams and Shaune Dooley.

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With a story by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, the script is penned by Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou. Warner Bros. Animation, New Line Cinema and Sola Entertainment are the studios behind the film, with Warner Bros. distributing. Joseph Chou of Sola Entertainment produces. Phillippa Boyens, who co-wrote Jackson’s film trilogy, serves as an executive producer. The creative team also includes original “LOTR” trilogy contributors Richard Taylor, Alan Lee and Tolkien illustrator John Howe.

Kamiyama is known for directing the series “Blade Runner: Black Lotus” and “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex.”

Stories from Tolkien’s Middle Earth continue to receive onscreen adaptations for old and new audiences. Season 2 of Prime Video’s series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” is currently in development, though it is entirely separate from the animated feature.

Watch the trailer for “The War of the Rohirrim” below.

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