Lord of the Rings and Succession combine for War of the Rohirrim anime prequel
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There's more than one The Lord of the Rings prequel on the way to your screen. While Amazon Prime Video's live-action TV series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will explore Middle-earth in the Second Age, Warner Bros. Animation and New Line Cinema are teaming up for an anime film about a legendary king of Rohan set 183 years before LOTR (but still in the more recognizable Third Age). This week, Warner Bros. announced important casting details.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is set to be a collision of different worlds. Succession's Brian Cox will star as the voice of protagonist Helm Hammerhand, that aforementioned king of Rohan who must lead his people through a desperate time. The film will not just be animated, but in an anime style and directed by Kenji Kamiyama, who has previously worked on the iconic anime franchise Ghost in the Shell.
Macall B. Polay/HBO; Everett Collection Brian Cox and Miranda Otto star in the anime film 'The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim.'
But there are also strong connections to Peter Jackson's original LOTR films. Philippa Boyens, who co-wrote Jackson's films, is executive producing War of the Rohirrim. Miranda Otto, who portrayed Éowyn, Shieldmaiden of Rohan, will reprise her role and serve as the film's narrator. The art team also includes Alan Lee, who illustrates many Tolkien books and won an Oscar for his art direction on Jackson's Return of the King adaptation. Check out concept art below.
The plot of the movie is kicked into motion when Wulf (Luke Pasqualino), the lord of the neighboring Dunland realm, leads a surprise attack against Rohan as vengeance for the death of his father. The Rohirrim make their stand in the fortress of Hornburg, but as things get more desperate, it will fall to Helm's daughter Hera (Gaia Wise) to lead the resistance against their deadly enemies.
Concept art for 'The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim' featuring Helm Hammerhand.
As fans of J.R.R. Tolkien know, Rohan is the realm of horse lords to the north of the kingdom of Gondor. Their battle against Saruman's Uruk-hai at the fortress of Helm's Deep is one of the highlights of LOTR, both the books and movies. Well, Helm's Deep is named after Helm Hammerhand, in honor of the struggle that will be depicted in War of the Rohirrim.
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