Warner Bros.’s trilogy of films based onThe Lord of the Ringsis one of the most financially successful and critically acclaimed movie franchises of all time. But an entirely new medium is jumping into the fray, as an animated prequel film set before the events of the main trilogy has been announced to be in the works by Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema.
This is the first timeLord of the Ringshas ever been adaptedthrough the medium of animation since 1978 when a film by animation legend Ralph Bakshi was released in theaters by United Artists. That version ofLord of the Ringsreceived mixed critical reception and is not nearly as beloved as live-action films made by Warner Bros. in the 21st century. This will also be the first film based onLord of the Ringsreleased in theaters since 2014’sThe Hobbit: The Battle of Five Armies.
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The animated prequel officially titledThe Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim, will tell a story that is set 250 years beforethe events ofThe Fellowship of the Ring, focusing on Helm Hammerhand, a character who was once the King of Rohan. The film will adapt legendary events described in the appendices of theLord of the Ringsbooks, in which the fortress of Helm’s Deep is created and defended by Hammerhand and his troops.
Warner Bros. Animation is involved with the project along with New Line Cinema. Kenji Kamiyama, a writer and director of multiple anime projects includingBlood: The Last Vampire,Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, andNapping Princess, has been tapped to direct the film (at a time when he has also signed on to direct the seriesBlade Runner: Black Lotusfor Crunchyroll and Adult Swim.) Jeffrey Adiss and Will Matthews, two writers fromThe Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, are penning the script, with Philippa Boyens, one of the screenwriters from the original film trilogy, serving as a consultant. Animation work is being completed in part by Sola Entertainment, a company that had a hand in the productions of theGhost in the Shell: SAC_2045series for Netflix as well as recent anime hits likeTower of GodandThe God of High School.
TheLord of the Ringsseries spawned a renewed cultural interest in the fantasy genre, while also spawning more media projects revolving around J.R.R. Tolkien’s legendary novel, including a follow-up movie trilogy based onThe Hobbit, a series ofLEGOvideo games, and twoMiddle-Earthvideo games (Shadow of MordorandShadow of War). On top of that, Amazon is hard at work developing a series taking placein the world ofLord of the Rings.
The decision to develop aLord of the Ringsanimated film and enlist an anime filmmaker to direct it signifies a bold new approach on behalf of Warner Bros. Animation. The film will be releasing at a time when fans might be hungry for moreLord of the Ringscontent, and the potential will also be there to take the project in a more mature direction than recent Warner Bros. animated films likeStorks,Scoob!, andSmallfoot.Fans of animated films and fans ofLord of the Ringswill undoubtedly be keeping an eye on this project.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrimwill be distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures.
