A Lord of the Rings animated movie is coming

It’s been 20 years since Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring came out in theaters, restarting the world’s love affair with the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Now, Amazon Prime Video is looking to reignite that love again with its upcoming Lord of the Rings TV series, but the original studio behind Jackson’s movies, New Line Cinema, also wants a piece of the pie.

Enter The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, a joint venture between New Line and Warner Bros. Animation. According to the press release, the movie “explores and expands the untold story behind the fortress of Helm’s Deep, delving into the life and bloodsoaked times of one of Middle-earth’s most legendary figures; the mighty King of Rohan – Helm Hammerhand.” The whole thing is being designed as a “companion piece” to Jackson’s movies, with lots of references for fans to spot.

The War of the Rohirrim is a “companion piece” to The Lord of the Rings trilogy

Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) is directing the movie, while Joseph Chou, Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews write the screenplay. Philippa Boyens, who helped write The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies with Peter Jackson, is consulting. Warner Bros. and New Line execs are ecstatic. “All of us at New Line feel a deep affinity for the extraordinary world J.R.R. Tolkien created, so the opportunity to dive back into Middle-earth with the team at Warner Bros. Animation is a dream come true,” they said in a joint statement. “Fans know Helm’s Deep as the stage for one of the greatest battles ever put to film and, with many of the same creative visionaries involved and the brilliant Kenji Kamiyama at the helm, we couldn’t be more excited to deliver a fresh vision of its history that will invite global audiences to experience the rich, complex saga of Middle-earth in a thrilling new way.”

“And so it begins,” added Warner Bros. Animation president Sam Register, very dramatically. He’s clearly the right guy for the job.

Who are the Rohirrim in The Lord of the Rings?

The Rohirrim are the horse-loving people of Rohan, who featured heavily in the second movie in Jackson’s trilogy, The Two Towers. Helm Hammerhand was the ninth king of Rohan; the fortress of Helm’s Deep is named for him.

This is a pretty cool idea, and of course I get when Warner Bros. and New Line would want to capitalize of The Lord of the Rings brand now that it’s coming back in style…although I wonder if this is only going to drum up more hype for the Amazon series, which is the bigger, way more expensive project.

There’s no release date for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim as of yet, although the studio says it’s being “fast-tracked” for the big screen. Amazon’s show is filming now and is expected to be released sometime next year.

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