The forthcoming animated journey to Middle-earth, directed by ‘Blade Runner: Black Lotus’ helmer Kenji Kamiyama, will hit theaters in 2024.
New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Animation’s original Lord of the Rings anime feature now has a release date.
Titled The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, the film is slated to hit theaters April 12, 2024, Variety reports. Its voice cast is expected to be revealed soon.
The War of the Rohirrim is set two centuries prior to when J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings take place. When AWN reported on its development last June, we learned it would be a standalone feature that would serve as a companion piece to Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The story centers around the King of Rohan, Helm Hammerhand, and will explore how Helm’s Deep - the fortified gorge named after Hammerhand that appeared in Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - was first created. Based on concept art debuted by Variety, it appears that the film will bear strong stylistic similarities to Jackson’s films.
Kenji Kamiyama, who co-directed Adult Swim and Crunchyroll’s Blade Runner: Black Lotus, is directing The War of the Rohirrim. The project sees him reunite with Black Lotus producer Joseph Chou, who is producing through his anime studio Sola Entertainment.
Philippa Boyens, a series vet who was a member of the Oscar-winning screenwriting team for both the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit film trilogies, serves as executive producer on The War of the Rohirrim.
“I’m in awe of the creative talent who have come together to bring this epic, heart-pounding story to life, from the mastery of Kenji Kamiyama to a truly stellar cast,” Boyens told Variety.
Boyens’ daughter, Phoebe Gittins, is writing the screenplay with writing partner Arty Papageorgiou. Their treatment is based on another script by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews. The crew also includes Richard Taylor, who won Oscars for VFX (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring), makeup, and costume design (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King); Alan Lee, who won an Oscar for art direction (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King); and Tolkien illustrator John Howe.
“It’s a gift to be able to revisit Middle-earth with many of the same creative visionaries and the talented Kenji Kamiyama at the helm,” added Warner Bros. Pictures Group chairman Toby Emmerich. “This will be an epic portrayal unlike anything audiences have ever seen.”
Max Weinstein is a writer and editor based in Los Angeles. He is the Editor-at-Large of 'Dread Central' and former Editorial Director of 'MovieMaker.' His work has been featured in 'Cineaste,' 'Fangoria,' 'Playboy,' 'Vice,' and 'The Week.'
