Fans of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings will be delighted to hear that there's an upcoming anime adaptation of the fantasy epic in the works. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will be a feature film directed by Ghost and the Shell: Stand Alone Complex director Kenji Kamiyama, and will follow the life of Helm Hammerhand, the ninth King of Rohan, and the turbulent times he struggled through while in power.
Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings doesn't pay Helm much attention, except for the epic battle that takes place in the stronghold named in his honor. Helm Hammerhand became the King of Rohan at the ripe age of 50 when his father Gram died after years of struggle against the Dunlendings, the men who were driven into the mountains of Isengard at the hands of Rohan. Almost immediately, Helm's reign was filled with conflict due to this ongoing issue. Here's a rundown of Tolkien's story that The War of the Rohirrim anime will explore.
A Dunlending landowner named Freca soon tries to coerce Helm into setting up a marriage between his daughter and Freca's son, Wulf. Freca even marches on Edoras, the capital of Rohan, with the intent of threatening King Helm to give in to his demands. Helm was not pleased and during their confrontation, a punch to Freca's head results in his death. Angry and dejected, Freca's men leave Edoras after Helm declares Wulf and the rest of his kin enemies of the King. This kindled the flames of war for Wulf and his family, especially since their ancestors were kicked out of their homeland by previous kings.
Four years later, a large battle ensued as a combined force of Dunlendings, led by Wulf, the Corsairs of Umbar and Easterlings overran the plains of Rohan. Though Helm was defeated at the Crossings of Isen, he quickly withdrew to the Hornburg at Helm's Deep, where he endured a long siege. Due to the nature of the Hornburg's physical terrain, it was easy for Helm to flee there for safety, but more difficult to escape. Once his enemies surrounded the front steps of the Hornburg, there was little chance of escape for Helm and his men.
Because the siege lasted so long, eventually Helm and his men ran out of food. Not only was his anger rising, but so was his impatience. Helm would blow on the horn at the Hornburg and break through the ranks of Dunlending men, slaughtering them one after the other. His enemies began to fear him even more because of this, some even believing he would eat the men he killed due to his ferocious demeanor. Helm became known as Hammerhand because of his impressive strength and prowess with his hands, needing no other weapon than his own body to take down enemy after enemy.
Eventually, Helm died and was found frozen in the snow, standing as if ready for battle. This incredible siege of the Hornburg earned it the new name Helm's Deep because he withstood his enemies for almost a year before finally succumbing to death and defeat.
The new anime will explore these events in greater detail, touching on the turbulent relationship between the Rohirrim and the Dunlendings. Safe in the hands of Kenji Kamiyama, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will only expand Tolkien's lore further, providing more fodder for adamant fans and more context for the events that take place years later, in the time of the War of the Ring.