'The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim' Anime Film Will Be A Companion Piece To The 'Lord Of The Rings' Trilogy

The Lord of the Rings saga will continue with the standalone anime film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Animation are teaming for the new feature, which explores the untold story behind the fortress of Helm's Deep. The film will also be a companion piece to New Line's Lord of the Rings trilogy from director Peter Jackson.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is a monumental achievement in cinema – a sweeping, truly epic saga that won oodles of Oscars and broke the box office bank. It also resulted in The Hobbit trilogy, but let's not talk about that, okay? Instead, let's talk about The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, a new standalone anime feature coming from New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Animation.

The film will be helmed by director Kenji Kamiyama (Blade Runner: Black Lotus and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex), and "will plunge fans into a legendary battle that helped shape Middle-earth and set the stage for the epic adventures brought to life in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy." The story "explores and expands the untold story behind the fortress of Helm's Deep, delving into the life and bloodsoaked times of one of Middle-earth's most legendary figures; the mighty King of Rohan – Helm Hammerhand."

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will be a companion piece to Peter Jackson's live-action trilogy, with "story and artistic elements woven throughout that will reconnect fans to the excitement and cinematic wonder of Middle-earth." Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) are handling the script, with Philippa Boyens, one of the writers of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, serving as a consultant on the project.

"All of us at New Line feel a deep affinity for the extraordinary world J.R.R. Tolkien created, so the opportunity to dive back into Middle-earth with the team at Warner Bros. Animation is a dream come true," said Carolyn Blackwood, Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, and Richard Brener, President and Chief Creative Officer, New Line Cinema in a joint statement. "Fans know Helm's Deep as the stage for one of the greatest battles ever put to film and, with many of the same creative visionaries involved and the brilliant Kenji Kamiyama at the helm, we couldn't be more excited to deliver a fresh vision of its history that will invite global audiences to experience the rich, complex saga of Middle-earth in a thrilling new way."

"This will be yet another epic portrayal of J.R.R. Tolkien's world that has never been told before. We're honored to partner with much of the incredible talent behind both film trilogies, along with new creative luminaries to tell this story. And so it begins," added Sam Register, President of Warner Bros. Animation. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is being fast-tracked for the big screen, with animation work at Sola Entertainment and voice casting currently underway. The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

I'm not the biggest anime fan, but I love the Lord of the Rings trilogy, so I'm all-in on this. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim isn't the only new Lord of the Rings title on the way – Amazon is also making a very expensive Lord of the Rings TV series which is set to arrive sometime this year.