The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Release Date, First Look Revealed

The Lord of The Rings next feature-length film has a release date and a first look for Middle Earth fans.

By Evan Valentine

The Lord of The Rings: The War of The Rohirrim will take fans back to the past to examine a time long before Biblo and Frodo set off on their respective journeys in Middle Earth. Premiering the first twenty minutes of the animated film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Middle Earth's first anime film has shared its release date along with a first look at the animation style. While the movie might feature new characters not seen in The Lord of The Rings and Hobbit trilogies, it is looking to maintain its aesthetic.

The Lord of The Rings: The War of The Rohirrim will arrive in theaters on December 13th, taking place hundreds of years prior to the events of the Lord of The Rings trilogy. Following the character Helm Hammerhand, director Kenji Kamiya discussed the upcoming project and the themes inherent in this new animated project, "This is the story of the most powerful king in Rohan's history, someone who defeated his enemies with his bare fists. Why did his lineage have to end with him? I think there is a lesson in hubris there and also for a need for responsibility and awareness in their power. We live in an age where, all over the world, we face the reality of war again. What, then, is power? What is the responsibility of those who possess it? It is something they need to think about by thinking together with those who don't." 

The War of Rohirrim Revealed at Last

Teaming up with Warner Bros on this project is Sola Entertainment, which has had a hand in some familiar anime properties in recent years. The production house's resume includes Tower of God, The God of High School, Shemue: The Animation, and Ninja Kamui. Past the upcoming Lord of the Rings film, the studio will be once again working with Warner Bros on the upcoming series Lazarus.

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Producer Philippa Boyens, who will be joined by Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh in producing duties, examined how deciding to make this project an anime helped in expanding its story, ""When they suggested anime, that's when my brain really started whirring. Immediately, the idea of telling this story came to me. They had a number of different ones they were going to pitch me, but I was quite bossy, and I was like, 'No, I know exactly what this needs.' I immediately felt that it would work for anime because it's so character-based and also contained within its own world. It speaks to certain things that work really well with Japanese storytelling." 

Want to stay updated on The Lord of The Rings' anime endeavor? Follow along with Team Anime on ComicBook for al the latest updates on anime Middle Earth. 

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