Convention season is officially underway, and with it comes the biggest anime convention in the United States: Anime Expo in Los Angeles, CA. With the convention officially being kicked off on July 4, 2024, there have already been a number of incredible announcements and news that fans can’t wait to see more of.
One of the most exciting – and, admittedly, anxiety inducing due to the nature of fandom apprehension – upcoming titles that was featured at the convention is The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. The upcoming anime film looks absolutely gorgeous, and the latest updates dropped by Warner Bros. and Sola Entertainment are making this project feel like a perfect addition to the ever growing Lord of the Rings franchise.
Everything We Know About The War of the Rohirrim
The upcoming anime film shared a brand new image/still from production, depicting the film’s lead, Héra, in an action shot of her valiantly riding a horse with clear concern on her face. Kenji Kamiyama, the films director, stated that, “In Japanese [anime], it’s not uncommon for a female protagonist to be the main character, but it’s more rare in live-action films like The Lord of the Rings. Our film has a strong female lead in Héra, and our story is narrated by the noble Tolkien figure Éowyn, so women are very well represented. I think their are a lot of fans of Tolkien’s original work, so I hope those people will enjoy it. Making this movie has been a fun challenge.”
In addition to having Kenji Kamiyama (Eden of the East, Blade Runner Black Lotus, Ghost In the Shell: Stand Alone Complex – Solid State Society –) directing, the rest of the upcoming film’s production team is also promising, including the Academy Award-winning screenwriter Philippa Boyens (The Lord of the Rings films, The Hobbit films) credited as a producer, plus Phoebe Grittins and Arty Papageorgiou writing the film’s screenplay.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is set 183 years before the events of the original film trilogy, follows the tale of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan. After a sudden attack from Wulf, a cunning and dangerous Dunlending lord on a quest for revenge after losing his father, Helm and his people are forced to try and make a daring “last stand” in the ancient stronghold Hornburg, a fortress that is later referred to as Helm’s Deep. The film’s lead protagonist, Héra, Helm’s daughter, is pushed to lead the army to resist against Wulf and his forces bent on her people’s destruction.
The film is currently slated for a wide theatrical release on December 13, 2024 in the United States, and features the voice talents of Brian Cox, Miranda Otto, Gaia Wise as Héra, and Luke Pasqualino as Wulf.
