Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Delayed by Warner Bros.

The latest Lord of the Rings movie has officially been delayed. On Thursday, Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema announced that Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim has been pushed back from April 12, 2024 to December 13, 2024. That upcoming animated film isn't the only Warner Bros. tentpole to suffer a delay, with Dune: Part Two moving from November 3, 2023 to March 14, 2024, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire moving from March 14, 2024 to The War of the Rohirrim's old April 12th release date.

What Is Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim About?

Set 183 years before the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim tells the story of Helm Hammerhand, a legendary King of Rohan who must defend against an army of Dunlendings. He becomes the namesake for the stronghold of Helm's Deep. The film is directed by Kenji Kamiyama, with a cast that includes Brian Cox, Gaia Wise, Miranda Otto, Luke Pasqualino, Lorraine Ashbourne, Yazdan Qafouri, Benjamin Wainwright, Laurence Ubong Williams, Shaun Dooley Michael, Jude Akuwudike, Bilal Hasna, Janine Duvitski.

Will There Be New Live-Action Lord of the Rings Movies?

In addition to The War of the Rohirrim, Warner Bros. has teased plans to work on new live-action films with New Line Cinema and Embracer Group, which currently owns the franchise's rights.

"David made a promise, quote unquote, very early on to revitalize some of that iconic, tentpole IP and we're starting to make progress," Warner Bros. Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels explained earlier this year. "It's exciting to see how people are coming in and out and how the creative community is embracing this opportunity to work with us. That's going to bear fruit, over time."

Who Owns the Lord of the Rings Rights?

Last August, the IP rights for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were purchased by Embracer Group, with plans to extend the franchise even further. Prior to that purchase, Prime Video developed the first season of a television show in the franchise, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, which has already been greenlit for a second season..

"I am truly excited to have The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, one of the world's most epic fantasy franchises join the Embracer family, opening up more transmedia opportunities including synergies across our global group," said Lars Wingefors, Founder and Group CEO Embracer Group, at the time. "I am thrilled to see what lies in the future for this IP with Freemode and Asmodee as a start within the group. Going forward, we also look forward to collaborating with both existing and new external licensees of our increasingly stronger IP portfolio."

What do you think of Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim being delayed? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!