The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim Debuts Its First Twenty Minutes

Movies

At the Annecy Animation Festival, Warner Bros. Animation, New Line Cinema, and Sola Entertainment previewed the first twenty minutes of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, which was met with thunderous applause from the packed event. Entertainment Weekly also revealed some exclusive first-look images from the film, which you can see below.

According to Variety, this story is set about 200 years before Bilbo Baggins discovers The One Ring in the deep depths of the Misty Mountains in The Hobbit, centering on the House of Helm Hammerhand, the current King of Rohan (voiced by Brian Cox). The focus will be on the strong-willed princess Héra (voiced by Gaia Wise). In the clip shown during the festival, a quarrel erupts during a council meeting, which leaves Wulf, a ruthless Dunlending lord, to seek vengeance. Miranda Otto reprises her Lord of the Rings role as Éowyn, but as the film’s narrator.

Director Kenji Kamiyama said he was not only inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s works but also Peter Jackson’s beloved film trilogy of The Lord of the Rings; Jackson is also executive producing The War of the Rohirrim, along with his wife, Fran Walsh. 

“There is such power to the story,” Kamiyama said via a translator. His most notable credits include the TV series Blade Runner: Black Lotus and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Joining him in this highly anticipated session are producers Philippa Boyens (who also co-wrote the story), Jason DeMarco, and Joseph Chou. With the choice of going a more anime route in terms of style, DeMarco emphasized that the team set out to make a Kamiyama film, not an animated Peter Jackson film. 

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim opens in North America on Dec. 13 and internationally starting Dec. 11 of this year. 

Now, I open the floor to you, readers. What are your thoughts on The War of the Rohirrim now that more information and images have come out? Are you as excited as before or less so? Are you worried that this will be yet another “girl boss” movie or that this new princess will be in any way similar to the Éowyn we know and love? Please comment down below! 

Many thanks to Entertainment Weekly for the exclusive first-look images.