Lord of the Rings is probably the most influential work of the past century. From DnD to all the games with fantastical elements are the outcome of Tolkien’s genius. The Lord of the Rings fans are in for a treat soon! The trailer for the new animated film The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim is out.
The trailer is nothing short of thrilling, but we are still unsure how the movie fits into the timeline of Middle-earth. What about the characters and references? Can we expect the director to polish the known characters’ backdrop further? Let us look at this work of art that will hit the screens in December.
1. When is the release date for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim?
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is set to be released on 13 December 2024. It is an animated film and a New Line production. It will work as a prequel, set 250 years before the events of The Two Towers.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim will be released for the international audience on December 13, 2024. The North American audience will be able to watch it on the big screen early, on December 11, 2024.
The animated film was originally slated to release back on April 12, 2024. But there was a decision to push the release and delay it by eight months. Thankfully for us fans, the wait is about to end. The release date is confirmed and will not be pushed back.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim was announced as ‘in the making’ in June 2021. After a significant wait, we are getting some of that magic back, and not to worry as it likely won’t be the end. Warner Bros signed a deal in February 2023 with Middle-earth Enterprises, and we will get a host of movies soon.
2. What happens in the trailer?
The trailer for the War of Rohirrim has just dropped, and it is EPIC. The trailer starts with images from the previous franchise movies, slowly sinking us into the medieval fantasy vibe and, with a sudden twist, takes us into the animated world.
The trailer reveals a lot about the fight. We know that the fight is going to be not between humans and other races, but a man v man battle. The period of relative peace left the kings and nobles hungry for power.
We see that a greedy king challenges Helm to unarmed combat (possibly betting on their kingdom or the marriage of Hera). Helm is called the Hammerhand for a reason, and he defeats him and kills him.
This leads his son, the childhood sweetheart of Hera, to become livid with rage and sadness. He declares war on Rohan to avenge his father. He initially came seeking Hera’s hand.
We see Hera is not the typical princess, as she is the fastest rider in Rohan and we see that she can tame gigantic creatures. The white horse (LOTR reference) is ridden out into battle with a full suit of armor at the end. Signaling her direct participation.
2. Setting and the Plot of the Movie
The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim is set in a period that is thousands of years after Rings of Power, and a 183 years before any of the events in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The setting is that of peace, albeit a forceful one. There are political undercurrents and ambitions overflowing amongst the various powers. But for the common populace, it can be said to be a period of calm and quiet.
Things wont be quiet for very long as Sauron is seeking the One Ring. The trailer hints to this, as we see a treasure hunter gathering rings and placing them into an almost full satchel bag.
We see that Helm is the king of Rohan and is called the “Hammerhand” (too string in hand-hand combat). We see his imperial nature and his tough love (as well as concern for the protagonist, Hera).
3. Hera the Heroine
The protagonist is actually a female character that was left unknown and unnamed in Tolkien’s original work – Helm’s daughter. The producer, Philippa Boyens (a true LOTR legend) said that her and Phoebe Gittins, the screen-writer (also Philippa’s daughter).
“In the appendices where the story is drawn from, we get these quite interestingly drawn male characters, and then we get this young female character who is never named — and that was really interesting to me.” -she said.
“We know Helm has a daughter, and we know that she was central to the conflict that happened. But myself, and especially screenwriter Phoebe Gittins, were drawn to her.
We could feel the weight of being that unnamed daughter, which immediately piqued our interest: Who was she? How did she live?” – Herein lies their creative genius. As fans, we can only hope that the spirit of the Lord of the Rings franchise is kept alive in this movie.
From what we have seen, Hera is unlike any character in the franchise before. She is rebellious and tomboyish, with great skill in that which was considered to be ‘a man’s job’, like riding and warfare.
The exciting visuals have left us wanting for more as we see Hera with the white horse (LOTR reference) and possibly taming a humongous white eagle. The creatures in the war like the mammoth add to the
4. Will we see any familiar Lord of the Rings characters?
The time period of The War of the Rohirrim is so far back into the past that it is incredibly difficult for characters to cross over and be ‘present’ in it. The story is 250 years behind the Two Towers, implying the relevant characters were not yet born (likely not even their great-great-great grandfather was born).
Since it is way before the time of Aragorn and Frodo, they will not appear in the movie. One can argue that the elven characters who have incredibly long lives are definitely around. But as this is a man vs man war, it is unlikely that Legolas and Elrond interfere.
The elves are unconcerned about the war, but with a little luck, Gandalf might make an appearance in the movie. After all, he knows that Rohan cannot be left to ruin. So, the narrator – Otto’s Éowyn, might be the only familiar character we see. But still, one can hope. Fingers crossed for Gandalf!
5. About Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
The Lord of the Rings is an epic high fantasy novel by the English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien.
Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is described as an original anime feature, depicting a legendary battle that helped shape Middle-earth and set the stage for Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
It explores and expands upon the untold story behind the fortress of Helm’s Deep seen in “The Two Towers,” plunging into the life and bloody times of one of Middle-earth’s mightiest figures: Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan.
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