The next few years are an exciting time to be a Tolkien fan. What with the Rings of Power TV series making their debut and now the War of the Rohirrim film being released in 2024.
Let’s not forget the Rings of Power Season 2 also coming out sometime in the next couple years. And we’ve been promised five seasons of it, so that’s loads of action to save Middle-Earth in the Second Age.
New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. are partnering up with Sola Digital Arts for the production of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. On the 20th anniversary of the Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, it was announced that the War of the Rohirrim is on its way to the silver screen.
It is an animated movie that pre-dates Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. In The Two Towers, we see a battle at Helm’s Deep where the men of Rohan make their stand to fight Saruman’s army at their gates.
The highly anticipated film, War of the Rohirrim, will see the origin story of Helm Hammerhand, one of Rohan’s greatest Kings.
War of the Rohirrim Release Date Speculation
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is scheduled to release on April 12, 2024, by Warner Bros. Pictures. Kenji Kamiyama is directing the animated film with help from the original Lord of the Rings co-writer Philippa Boyens.
Earlier this year, in February, Boyens’ daughter Phoebe Gittins started writing the screenplay which is based on the story by Jeffery Addiss and Will Matthews. The Academy Award winner, Philippa Boyens, is signed on as an executive producer and consultant.
Alan Lee, a concept artist for both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, is an illustrator for the animated film. Thus, we can breathe a sigh of relief; the film is clearly in very capable hands.
As for the budget, we are still unclear how high it can go. However, it’s unlikely to exceed that of the live action film adaptations by Peter Jackson.
It’s worth noting that Peter Jackson is not involved in the project as of yet.
First Look at War of the Rohirrim
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim in theaters April 12, 2024. #WarOfTheRohirrim pic.twitter.com/y7XPGpFd42
— Warner Bros. Pictures (@wbpictures) June 15, 2022
On June 15th, 2022, Warner Bros. Pictures officially tweeted about the release date of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. Names of the main voice actors were also mentioned in the tweet.
War of the Rohirrim Concept Art
The concept art released by Warner Bros. Pictures gives a massive adrenaline rush and excitement for the upcoming film.
This image shows two armies amassed outside Edoras, the familiar and iconic city of Rohan. The White Mountains are visible in the foreground that fans will be familiar with from Return of the King, when Gandalf dispatches Pippin to light the beacon.
We can see an armed Mûmakil here so that cat’s out of the bag, however, it seems there is only one Mûmak. We know that Wulf, the vicious Dunlending lord allied himself with the Corsairs of Umbar, which is where the Haradrim originate form.
The Oliphaunts are very useful in battle so it seems that the defenders of Edoras might just get trampled. But let’s wait for the film to tell us that.
Now this image feels a little like Christmas morning to us. Here the Haradrim archers atop the Mûmak are clearly visible and they’re breaking down the barrier to what we can only assume is Edoras.
It seems that the army has broken through the ranks of the Rohirrim and are about to overtake the city. In the distance the golden hall of Meduseld is visible along with a couple of watch guards.
That doesn’t bode well for the Rohirrim who, at this point, have possibly retreated to the Hornburg caves.
Helm Hammerhand Concept Art
Now this is a true masterpiece. It captures the essence of the legendary King of Rohan, Helm Hammerhand, the main character in the film.
We see Helm without any weapons in his hands, but standing atop a mound of, it seems, his dead enemies. We can assume from the little we know that he killed these soldiers with his bare hands, earning his long-standing reputation as “Hammerhand”.
The snowfall and winds of winter are very beautifully shown in the background and in Helm’s raggedy garb. I think it’s fair to say that the anticipation for the War of the Rohirrim surpasses that of Rings of Power Season 2.
Also read: Why Did the Elves Leave Middle Earth?
The War of the Rohirrim Plot
Almost 250 years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings unfold, War of the Rohirrim tells the story of Helm Hammerhand. The movie will delve into the untold, ensanguined times in the life of one of the mightiest King of Rohan.
The iconic fortress seen in the Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers is arguably one of the most epic battle scenes in film history. But a key event in the history of Rohan is how Helm’s Deep came to be.
Helm Hammerhand’s reign was rife with attacks and raids from the Dunlendings who resided in a conquered palace of Isengard. The Dunlendings were wild men of Dunland which lay between Moria and Isengard.
Freca, a troublesome Dunlending lord, asks Helm for his daughter, Hera’s, hand in marriage. When Helm refuses, Freca resorts to threats and blackmail to coerce him.
Helm gains widespread recognition as “Hammerhand” when he strikes Freca on the side of his face which renders him dead shortly after. Wulf, a cruel and merciless lord of the Dunlendings decides to avenge his father, Freca’s, death.
War of Succession
Wulf gathers a large army to usurp Rohan’s Throne from Helm Hammerhand. He rallies the Corsairs of Umbar and the Easterlings, a race of men from the East of Mordor, and launches a surprise attack on Rohan.
From Tolkien’s lore we know that the city of Edoras was taken and Wulf named himself King of Rohan. After the fall of Edoras, Helm retreats to the caves of Hornburg with the remaining forces.
While Helm and his men wait out the winter in the freezing caves, Helm ventures out alone and single-handedly attacks his enemies. The caves of Hornburg are the site of the Helm’s Deep fortress in The Two Towers.
Once the snowing stops, his men find him frozen to death. The end of winter allows Helm’s nephew, Fréaláf to retake the city of Edoras with the other lords and men of Rohan.
Also read: 25 Most Powerful Creatures in The Lord of the Rings
Characters We Could See in War of the Rohirrim
You may find some familiar actors playing in the film. The protagonist, King of Rohan is Helm Hammerhand and portrayed by Brian Cox.
Brian Cox played the father of the terror-inducing antagonist of the horror film The Ring.
You might recognize the voice of the woman who brought down the Witch-King of Angmar, leader of the Nazgûl in Return of the King. Miranda Otto as Éowyn, is the narrator of the film.
Gaia Romilly Wise will play Helm Hammerhand’s daughter, Hera. Whereas Luke Pasqualino will portray Wulf, the leader of the Dunlendings.
Wulf is ruthless and seeks revenge against the Kingdom of Rohan because he blames them for his father’s death.
Shaun Dooley will also make an appearance as Freca, Wulf’s father. Shaun Dooley has appeared in various British dramas like Doctor Who, Broadchurch and The Witcher.
Laurence Ubong Williams will portray Helm’s nephew, Fréaláf Hildeson, who is the successor to the throne of Rohan.
Voice Cast for the Series
The full voice cast has not been announced yet, although some actors are expected to be heard.
- Lorraine Ashbourne
- Yazdan Qafouri
- Benjamin Wainwright
- Janine Duvitski
- Bilal Hasna
- Michael Wildman
Also read: 11 Most Powerful Elves in Middle Earth