The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim trailer previews journey back to Middle-earth

Travel back to Middle-earth 200 years before the events of the Lord of the Rings trilogy in the action-packed first trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. The anime film is based on the details in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.

The War of the Rohirrim revolves around Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox), the King of Rohan before his family became the namesake for Helm’s Deep. Freca (Shaun Dooley), a Dunlending lord, proposes a marriage between his son, Wulf, (Luke Pasqualino) and Helm’s daughter, Héra (Gaia Wise), to strengthen Rohan. Insulted by the offer, Helm strikes Freca dead with one punch. Wulf promises revenge and eventually leads a Dunlending army to Rohan. In need of a hero, Héra steps up and fights for the people of Rohan.

When Wulf questions why he should be afraid of Héra, she says, “You should be,” before battling the Dunlending lord in the trailer.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim | Official Trailer

Miranda Otto reprises her role as éowyn from the Lord of the Rings films and narrates the new movie. Additional voices in the ensemble include Lorraine Ashbourne, Yazdan Qafouri, Benjamin Wainwright, Laurence Ubong Williams, Michael Wildman, Jude Akuwudike, Bilal Hasna, and Janine Duvitski.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is directed by Kenji Kamiyama, the legendary anime director behind Blade Runner: Black Lotus and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou penned The War of the Rohirrim, based on an initial draft by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews.

Philippa Boyens, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, produces The War of the Rohirrim alongside Joseph Chou and Jason DeMarco. Peter Jackson, the Oscar-winning visionary of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, is an executive producer of the anime film.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim opens in theaters on December 13, 2024.