“The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim” Gets First Look

We are incredibly excited to share the first look at the upcoming anime film “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.”

Directed by Kenji Kamiyama (“Blade Runner: Black Lotus“), the film will detail the story of Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox), the ancient king of Rohan. We’ll meet his daughter, Hèra (Gaia Wise), who is every bit a Tolkien heroine, in their battle against the Dunlendings.

“When they suggested anime, that’s when my brain really started whirring,” Philippa Boyens (who co-wrote along with Sir Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh the LoTR films) said. “Immediately, the idea of telling this story came to me. They had a number of different ones they were going to pitch me, but I was quite bossy, and I was like, ‘No, I know exactly what this needs.’  I immediately felt that it would work for anime because it’s so character-based and also contained within its own world. It speaks to certain things that work really well with Japanese storytelling.” 

“This is the story of the most powerful king in Rohan’s history, someone who defeated his enemies with his bare fists,” director Kamiyama said. “Why did his lineage have to end with him? I think there is a lesson in hubris there and also for a need for responsibility and awareness in their power. We live in an age where, all over the world, we face the reality of war again. What, then, is power? What is the responsibility of those who possess it? It is something they need to think about by thinking together with those who don’t.” 

“She would lay down her life for her people,” Wise says. “Comparing her to Arwen and Eowyn, they’re already fully formed women. What I loved about Hèra is she’s fierce, she’s complex, she’s rebellious.”

“The Lord of the Rings: War for the Rohirrim” is set to hit theaters December 13th, 2024.