WB revives The Lord of the Rings with animated movie War of the Rohirrim

Director Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045) will direct War of the Rohirrim, a feature-length animated movie set in the world of Lord of the Rings.

A joint project between Warner Bros. Animation and New Line Cinema, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is being “fast-tracked for the big screen” with plans for global distribution by Warner Bros. Pictures.

The movie will tell “the untold story behind the fortress of Helm’s Deep,” according to a news release, “delving into the life and bloodsoaked times of one of Middle- earth’s most legendary figures; the mighty King of Rohan — Helm Hammerhand.”

One might assume that Helm Hammerhand had a cool hammer, but in Tolkien’s writings, he actually got that name after he punched a man so hard that he died. The ninth king of Rohan, Helm’s life was defined by his defense of his people against invaders from the nearby Dunland, particularly during a winter siege of the fortress later known as Helm’s Deep, a location that featured largely in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

Joseph Chou (the upcoming Blade Runner: Black Lotus), Jeffrey Addiss, and Will Matthews (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) will co-write the screenplay of War of the Rohirrim. Philippa Boyens, Oscar-winning co-screenwriter of the Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings trilogy, is on board to consult. New Line says in a news release that it plans for the movie to be made “with story and artistic elements woven throughout that will reconnect fans to the excitement and cinematic wonder of [Peter Jackson’s version of] Middle-earth.”