The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim takes advantage of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Legendarium in an entirely new way. The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies concentrated on the books written by J.R.R. Tolkien, but War of the Rohirrim took a page from the Appendices of Return of the King, bringing to life the war between Helm Hammerhand of Rohan and the Dunlendings. The anime also introduces a whole new character to the Legendarium: Hera, Helm’s daughter. The animated film’s reviews are mostly positive, and its success could open up the door for more Lord of the Rings spinoffs, ones focusing on lesser-known tales and characters.
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Already, Tolkien fans are getting The Hunt for Gollum in 2026, but Tolkien’s Legendarium is full of even more amazing moments, characters, and stories. The author, and his son Christopher, spent decades hammering out the history of Middle-Earth, with books like The Silmarillion, The Book of Lost Tales, and The Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-Earth expanding on the histories set up in the “Tale of Years” appendix from Return of the King. There are many great tales that could be adapted as LotR spinoffs, whether they be animated or live-action.
The First Wars Against Melkor Would Make for Great Films
The Silmarillion contains the legends of the First Age, spanning from the creation of the universe by Eru Illuvatar to the war that ended that age. The stories contained therein introduce the first Dark Lord, Melkor Morgoth, and a great place to start with the spinoffs would be the first wars against Melkor. Melkor was the most powerful of the Valar and caused much discord in the music that would become the universe. Melkor decided that he wanted to conquer Middle-earth and went into the world with some of the other Valar and Maiar. There were several battles fought against him, up until the birth of the Elves and his first defeat in a war fought on their behalf, earning the Elves the undying hate of Melkor. These wars would make for amazing spinoffs, introducing fans to the powers that formed Middle-earth in its primordial past.
The Tale of Thingol and Melian Would Tell One of Middle-Earth’s Most Important Stories
When the Elves awakened on the shores of Lake Cuivienen, it took time before the Valar discovered them. However, once Orome found the Elves, the Valar decided to invite them to Valinor, starting a long march across Middle-earth to the shores of the Great Sea. One of the lords of the Elves, Elwe, was on the march when he witnessed Melian, a Maiar, dancing and singing in a clearing. The two were filled with love for one another and Elwe forgot his people, who moved on after looking for him. Elwe, who would become known as Elu Thingol, married Melian and they formed the kingdom of Doriath with other Elves who refused to go to Valinor, creating the most beautiful Elven kingdom outside of the Uttermost West. Their story is a very important part of Middle-earth history and a spin-off telling their story has the potential to be a breathtaking tale of love and destiny.
The Tale of Feanor, the Creation of the Silmarils, and Melkor’s Taking of the Jewels Is a Fundamental Part of Middle-Earth’s History
Feanor is the most important Elf that most Tolkien fans had never heard of until Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power – a statue of him was seen outside of Celebrimbor’s workshop and the character was discussed by the Elven smith and Sauron. Feanor is a linchpin of the First Age; many of its most important events revolve around him, his creations, and his sons. Feanor was the son of Finwe, king of the Noldorin Elves, and was the greatest Elven craftsman of them all. Feanor captured the light of the Two Trees in three jewels, naming them the Silmarils. These jewels would become the most important artifacts of the First Age, driving Melkor to abandon his act of playing nice with the Valar and taking the actions that would lead to the darkening of Valinor, the sundering of the Noldor and the Valar, and the birth of the Sun and the Moon. A spinoff telling the story of these events would inform fans of the most important event in Middle-earth history they never knew.
The Story of Beren and Luthien Is the Greatest Epic of Middle-Earth
The tale of Thingol and Melian is the prologue to the greatest story in Middle-earth. Beren and Luthien’s tale, told both in The Silmarillion and the novel Beren and Luthien, is one of love, loss, and reunion beyond death, telling the story of a man who falls in love with the most beautiful woman in the history Middle-earth – i.e., the daughter of Thingol and Melian. What follows is a true epic, as the two star-crossed lovers embark on a series of quests to be together. It’s a story that has everything anyone could want, and also has deep meaning in Tolkien’s life, as he based Luthien on his wife Edith. Beren and Luthien’s tale is beautiful and bittersweet and deserves to be given an adaptation worthy of it.
The Nirnaeth Arnoediad Is the Greatest Battle in Middle-Earth History
The war against Melkor Morgoth that the Elves fought in Middle-earth had five major battles — six if one counts the one the Valar fought to end the war — but the only one that deserves its own spinoff is the fifth battle: the Nirnaeth Arnoediad, which translated in English means “Unnumbered Tears.” The battle sees the forces of Elves, Men, and Dwarves coming together to try to destroy Angband, something that Maedhros, son of Feanor, decided was possible after Beren and Luthien showed the weakness of the Dark Lord and his forces. However, Morgoth had his own plans, with many of the Men under Maedhros’ command secretly in his thrall. What follows is a battle that makes the Battle of Helm’s Deep or Minas Tirith from The Two Towers and Return of the King look like child’s play. There are so many brilliant moments in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad that make it more than just a bloody battle, giving it a heartbreaking story that will make for a brilliant spinoff.
The Narn I Hin Hurin Tells the Story of Middle-Earth’s Saddest Family
Hurin and his brother Huor were Men of Dor-Lomin, and fought in the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. Huor was killed in the battle and Hurin was captured by Morgoth. A curse was placed upon his family and he was forced to watch their lives unfold. This story, known as the Narn I Hin Hurin, was published as the chapter “Of Turin Turambar” in The Silmarillion and The Children of Hurin novel. The story follows Hurin’s son Turin, who’s taken in by Thingol and Melian as a child because of his mother Morwen being related to their son-in-law Beren after the Nirnaeth Arnoediad. However, his life is an unfolding tragedy from the word go. Everything he does is turned against him, all the good turned to evil. Turin, and the lives of his mother and sister Nienor, are destroyed by the curse of Morgoth and their stories are easily the saddest in the entire Legendarium. It would make for an amazing anime series spinoff, one capturing the ups and downs of Turin’s life.
Tuor’s Life Is Completely Different From His Cousin Turin’s and Helps Bring the War Against Morgoth to an End
Tuor was the son of Huor who had a very different life than his cousin Turin. His story takes him from the shores of the Great Sea, where the Valar Ulmo speaks to him, to the hidden city of Gondolin, where he meets the Elvish princess Idril Celebrindal and helps the city stay safe as the last refuge of freedom after the Nirnaeth Arnoediad and the breaking of Elvish power. Of course, the First Age is a time of tragedy, so Gondolin falls, but not before Tuor helps its people escape. Tuor and Idril have a son, Earendil, and Tuor tries to travel to Valinor to bring the case of the people of Middle-earth to the Valar.
While he fails, he’s granted immortality, making him the only man given that dispensation. Earendil marries Elwing, the granddaughter of Beren and Luthien, and succeeds where his father failed, convincing the Valar to help the free peoples and leading to the War of Wrath, which ends the First Age. The story of Tuor’s life is another tale that would be perfect for a long-form adaptation, whether it be animated or live-action. It would need to be more than one single movie, and, if it was done right, it would be amazing.
Aldarion and Erendis Tells the Tale of One of Numenor’s Great Kings and His Queen
Numenor and its royals are a key part of The Rings of Power. The Kings and Queens of Numenor are one of the more interesting groups of fictional royals ever created, their rise and fall over the millennia of the Second Age is a tale of power and faith. There are many great Numenorean Kings and Queens, but the ones best suited for a spin-off movie are Aldarion and Erendis.
Aldarion is known as the Mariner King, whose love of the sea took him to Middle-earth in his youth, making him a friend of High King Gil-Galad. He met his future wife Erendis in his hundredth year, who has to fight Aldarion’s sea lust for his heart. The story is a tragedy in many ways, as Aldarion’s wanderlust and care for the people of Middle-earth leads to his relationship with his wife growing cold. There’s no happy ending, which is fitting for a tale of Numenor. It’s basically the island’s entire history in microcosm: becoming so enamored of his works, Aldarion abandons that which truly matters to him and his love is ruined, a mirror for the fate of the island nation.
Cirion and Eorl’s Tale Is the Genesis of the Alliance of Gondor and Rohan
Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim tells a tale of Rohan, but there’s one story of Rohan that every LotR fans needs to see. The Rohirrim didn’t always have their own kingdom; they were a nomadic group that lived north of the Anduin River. After the death of Eorl’s father Leod, the young man took over the lordship of his people. In the year 2510 of the Third Age, Cirion, steward of Gondor, sent a message to Eorl asking for help against the attacking Men of Rhun. Eorl and his people answered the call, riding south and coming upon a battle between the forces of Gondor and the armies of Rhun and Orcs from the Misty Mountains.
This led to the Battle of Celebrant, a battle that Gondor survived because Eorl and his people came to help, resulting in Cirion giving Eorl’s people the lands that would become Rohan, and the two swearing oaths of fealty to each other, promising to always aid each other in the battles to come. This story would make for an excellent movie, giving LotR fans the history of the alliance between Gondor and Rohan.
A Spinoff Set in Arnor Would Tell the Story of the Forgotten Kingdom of the Dunedain
Every Lord of the Rings fan knows about Gondor, but the ones who have only watched the movies have very little idea about Arnor. Arnor was the northern of the two kingdoms set up by the Numenoreans who came to Earth under Elendil. Arnor was meant to be the senior of the two kingdoms, ruled by Elendil himself while Gondor was ruled by his son Isildur and Anarion together. Elendil’s death on the slopes of Mount Doom meant that Isildur was to become High King of Arnor, with Anarion’s son becoming King of Gondor.
Isildur never made it to Arnor because of the Ring, and the history of Arnor would become one of loss over the centuries it existed. Arnor only lasted until the year 861 of the Third Age, battling the forces of the Witch-King and his kingdom of Angmar as well as other enemies. The people of Arnor were the ancestors of Aragorn, so their story is one of the most important in the Legendarium. Arnor’s history would make for a great series, one that tells the story of its people and its wars. Its story is integral to the history of Middle-earth, and fans who have never read the books need to know more about it.
