The next Lord of the Rings movie, the animated film War of the Rohirrim, releases in theaters this December. There is no trailer yet, but new images have now been released.
The images show off some of the people, creatures, and environments that fans can expect, though whether or not this is concept art or actual stills from the film is not immediately clear. In any event, the art is very impressive-looking and teases some of the battles to come in the movie. The striking art is no surprise given that artists Alan Lee, John Howe, and Richard Taylor–all of whom worked on the original live-action movies–are attached to War of the Rohirrim.
The War of the Rohirrim stars Brian Cox as the voice of Helm Hammerhand, with Miranda Otto coming back to voice Eowyn, the role she played in Peter Jackson’s live-action trilogy. Kenji Kamiyama (Eden of the East, Akira, Napping Princess) is directing the film.
“A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg–a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm’s Deep,” reads a line from the movie’s description.
Gaia Wise (A Walk in the Woods) will play Hammerhand’s daughter, Hera, who is leading the resistance against a “deadly enemy intent on their total destruction.” Luke Pasqualino (Snowpiercer) will voice Wulf.
The voice cast also includes Lorraine Ashbourne (Bridgerton), Yazdan Qafouri (I Came By), Benjamin Wainwright (World on Fire), Laurence Ubong Williams (Gateway), Shaun Dooley (The Witcher), Michael Wildman (Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw), Jude Akuwudike (Beasts of No Nation), Bilal Hasna (Sparks), and Janine Duvitski (Benidorm).
Warner Bros. is showing the movie off at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June. Those in attendance will get a first look at the movie, with Kamiyama in attendance to discuss it. Philippa Boyens, who worked on the live-action Lord of the Rings movies, will be in attendance, along with Andy Serkis, according to Variety.
War of the Rohirrim, which releases in theaters on December 13, is not the only Lord of the Rings movie in the works now at Warner Bros. Andy Serkis will direct a Gollum-focused Lord of the Rings movie currently in the works under the working title The Hunt for Gollum. Jackson, Boyens, Fran Walsh–the architects of the Oscar-winning, multi-billion-dollar series–are coming back to produce the new film. Jackson is making at least one more new Lord of the Rings movie after this.
