Attention, Middle-earth fans! If you’re anything like us, you’re going a bit crazy while we count down the days until the next season of Rings of Power. But the good news is that there’s a brand new Tolkien-inspired movie on the horizon, so read on to learn more about the War of the Rohirrim release date.
That’s right, Lord of the Rings is back, and this time it’s very different. It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve watched the Lord of the Rings movies in order because you’ll never have seen Middle-earth like this before. War of the Rohirrim is taking its inspiration from the best anime movies to tell the story of some Lord of the Rings characters you’ve never seen, in the days before the War of the Ring. It’s a tantalizing prospect, so let’s answer the call of Gondor and find out everything we can.
What is the War of the Rohirrim release date?
You can watch Rohirrim on Friday December 13, 2024, so it’s time to start preparing for the return to Middle-earth.
The anime was originally intended to be released in April 2024, but has since been delayed by the 2023 Writers Strike and the parallel acting strike. Thankfully, both strikes have now come to an end, meaning Hollywood can get moving once again.
We simply can’t wait for this to come together as the marriage of Lord of the Rings and anime seems absolutely perfect on the face of it. We’re expecting battles on an enormous scale and the theoretically limitless potential of animation means we could be in for sequences that can evil rival Helm’s Deep for sheer size and spectacle.
We already know that the production is making extensive use of hand-drawn animation, which means this is going to be a real labor of love. It’s fair to say our expectations are higher than Treebeard’s branches.
December 2024 might seem like an eternity away, but that gives you plenty of time to watch the originals, which are definitely among the best movies of all time. You’ll even be able to fit in the extended editions, as many times as you want. You can never spend enough time with the Lord of the Rings cast, after all.
Who is in the War of the Rohirrim cast?
Brian Cox will lead the War of the Rohirrim voice cast as the fabulously named Helm Hammerhand, King of Rohan. Miranda Otto will also return as Éowyn.
Otto is back from the original movies as the shield-maiden of Rohan, niece to King Théoden, and sister to Éomer. Éowyn will act as the movie’s narrator, rather than being a character within the story itself.
The other big name that has been confirmed is Cox, known most recently for swearing up a storm in Succession. He will be playing the legendary king of Rohan, Helm Hammerhand. Say what you like about the best fantasy movies, but they know how to name a character.
If his name’s anything to go by, he’ll be unforgettable, and Cox’s recognizably grumpy voice feels like a perfect fit for a badass fantasy monarch. Presumably he’ll curse a bit less than Logan Roy. Although we wouldn’t complain too much about the air of Middle-earth turning blue. It’d certainly be a different approach.
Behind the camera, Kenji Kamiyama is directing. Kamiyama has decades of experience working with animated projects, and previous credits include the Ghost in the Shell sci-fi series, the Star Wars series Visions, and Blade Runner: Black Lotus. He has a wealth of experience playing in big worlds packed with dense lore, so he’s a perfect fit for Tolkien.
Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim cast list:
- Brian Cox as Helm Hammerhand
- Miranda Otto as Éowyn
- Gaia Wise as Hèra
- Laurence Ubong Williams as Fréaláf Hildeson
- Shaun Dooley as Freca the Dunlending
- Luke Pasqualino as Wulf the Dunlending
- Lorraine Ashbourne
- Yazdan Qafouri
- Michael Wildman
- Jude Akuwudike
- Benjamin Wainwright
- Bilal Hasna
- Janine Duvitski
What will happen in War of the Rohirrim?
The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim follows Helm Hammerhand and his efforts to protect Rohan from the Dunlendings.
The new Lord of the Rings movie takes place 200 years before the War of the Ring and the events of the original trilogy. It will follow the legendary king, who gave his name to the fortress of Helm’s Deep – location of one of the greatest battles in movie history.
Hammerhand tries to protect Rohan from the threat of the Dunlendings — the fierce race of men that occupied the Dunland and the plains around Rohan. These are evil men who swear allegiance to Saruman in The Two Towers, and whom Saruman uses to attack and burn the villages around Edoras.
So, Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim will be about the greatest battle between the Rohirrim and the Dunlendings, providing more context for the events we see in the Lord of the Rings movies. That means there’s bound to be plenty of action and big battles, all while exploring the small details that make up Middle-earth.
War of the Rohirrim trailer speculation
There is no The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim trailer yet, however, some critics and audiences were shown an enticing first look at the movie during the Annecy Film Festival in June 2023.
Unfortunately, this still hasn’t been followed up with a publicly available teaser clip. As for a full trailer, with the release date in mind, we’re estimating a The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim trailer will be released around September 2024.
Until then, expect to see more stills and images from the movie trickling out to keep interest high. While you wait for that, in the meantime, official concept art for the movie has been released which you can see below.
How to watch War of the Rohirrim
The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim will be a theatrical release.
This means you’ll get to see the world of Middle-earth on the big screen once again, this time in all its animated glory. It’s not often that blockbuster animation deals in honest-to-god spectacle as opposed to slapstick comedy, so this is going to be a very unique and welcome project. If you can’t tell already, we’re very excited indeed.
And that’s all we have about The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim. If you still can’t get enough of Middle-earth, take a look at our guide to the Rings of Power season 2 release date or find out which Lord of the Rings villain wanted to be Gandalf instead. We’ve also explained why we think the Lord of the Rings extended editions should be even longer.
Alternatively, change fantasy franchises for more new movies and TV series with our guides to House of the Dragon season 2 and the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child movie release date.