For those of you out there (somewhere) who have been clamoring for an anime take on the Lord of the Rings universe, New Line and Warner Animation have got you covered. As reported by Deadline, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim will bring the world of Middle Earth back to the big screen through an entirely new medium.
Though allegedly sans involvement from director Peter Jackson or producer/screenwriter Fran Walsh, it remains to be seen if that will stay the case. However, the Oscar-winning writer of Return of the King, Philippa Boyens, is on board to be a consultant on the new project. Japanese anime director Kenji Kamiyama will helm the film, with animation work from Sola Entertainment. Warner Bros. will be disturbing the film, and voice casting has already begun.
Kamiyama has worked on many, many anime projects, such as the TV series Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (who developed the Dark Crystal Netflix series) will write.
The War of the Rohirrim will be looking at the kingdom of Rohan during the third age of Middle Earth and the horse masters of the Rohirrim, specifically on Helm Hammerhand—a character from the book’s appendix and one of the kings of Rohan. So, the film will take place prior to the events of Lord of the Rings, expanding upon the story of the fortress known as Helm’s Deep and an epic battle that took place during this time.
It’s hard to know what to expect from this project, but it will certainly be interesting to see not only how J.R.R. Tolkien’s story will be adapted this time around, but how well it will meld with the style of Japanese animation.