Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will premiere in theaters on April 12, 2024.
The new feature-length animated movie is set 250 years before the events of Peter Jackson's film trilogy, and tells the story of Helm Hammerhand, the last of the kingdom of Rohan's first line of kings. The new film is being produced by New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Animation, and is being directed by Kenji Kamiyama, who previously co-directed the critically acclaimed anime series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. The announcement of the film's premiere date came alongside the release of new concept art from the film, which depicts a siege at Edoras, the capital city of Rohan.
The voice cast for the movie has yet to be officially announced, but Philippa Boyens, who previously served as part of the screen-writing team for both the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies, praised the team behind the new film. "I’m in awe of the creative talent who have come together to bring this epic, heart-pounding story to life, from the mastery of Kenji Kamiyama to a truly stellar cast," Boyens said. Boyens serves as the animated movie's executive producer. Phoebe Gittins and writing partner Arty Papageorgiou wrote the screenplay.
"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," said Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group.
The movie's animation is being produced at Sola Entertainment, the digital animation studio that Kamiyama previously worked with on the CG-animated Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045 and the Blade Runner spin-off Black Lotus, which recently completed its broadcast run on the Adult Swim network. The studio is also involved with the production of Shenmue, the anime adaptation of Sega's classic Dreamcast adventure game, and Netflix's Ultraman anime, which will begin streaming its second season on April 14.
The new movie tells a completely separate story from Amazon Studio's upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, a new series for the Prime Video service that also serves as a prequel to J.R.R. Tolkein's celebrated and highly influential fantasy series.
Source: Warner Bros.