A new clip fromThe Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimhas been released, teasing a return to a familiar Middle-earth. Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, the upcoming anime takes place hundreds of years before Frodo’s quest to destroy the One Ring, chronicling the origins of Helm’s Deep and a war between Rohan and the Dunlendings. As has been shown off inThe War of the Rohirrim’s trailers, the film features Peter Jackson returning as an executive producer, Miranto Otto narrating as Éowyn, and a recreation of Jackson’s version of Middle-earth.
IGNnow shares an 8-minute clip fromThe War of the Rohirrim, unveiling an intense start to the upcomingLord of the Ringsmovie.The clip opens with Dunlendings fleeing from Helm Hammerhand (Brian Cox), who is immediately established as a fearsome warrior. The clip also sets up the larger conflict between Rohan and the Dunlendings, with Wulf (Luca Pasqualino) attempting to avenge his father’s death at Helm’s hands.
Hèra (Gaia Wise), the film’s protagonist, also plays a large role in the clip, and she’s shown to be quite a warrior herself, fending off trolls before retreating into Helm’s Deep, which was then called the stronghold of Hornburg. The clip ends with a brief look at the scenes to come, including a sword battle between Hèra and Wulf, Mûmakil, and seemingly a return to Edoras, the Rohan capital. Check out the clip on theIGNwebsite at the link below:
Click here to watch the opening scene of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.
What The Clip Means For The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim
Peter Jackson’s Middle-earth Returns
One of the key tenets of the marketing forThe War of the Rohirrimthus far is that, unlike Prime Video’sThe Rings of Powerseries, the upcoming anime takes place in the familiar world of Jackson’sThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy. Locations, including Helm’s Deep, are recreated essentially exactly as they appear in his films. It’s notable, too, that the familiar voice of Éowyn will be the one to guide audiences through this new adventure.
Though not featured in the clip,Christopher Lee’s Saruman will also featurein the narrative, with the production having used existing voice recordings of the late actor to construct a new performance.
War Of The Rohirrim Continuing Lord Of The Rings' Box Office Streak Is Even More Important Now
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim’s hopes of continuing the franchise’s impressive box office streak is more important than ever.
What’s more, the clip also features the returning Rohan motif fromHoward Shore’s score for Jackson’s trilogy. The biggest difference between the upcoming film and Jackson’s trilogy, clearly, is the fact thatThe War of the Rohirrimis an anime.It’s unclear what the audience appetite will be for aLord of the Ringsanime, but all the returning elements could be enough to draw viewers in.
Our Take On The War Of The Rohirrim Clip
Will The Jackson Connections Be Enough?
Theresponse toThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Powerhas been somewhat mixed from audiences, andThe War of the Rohirrimreleasing several months after the conclusion of the show’s sophomore outing could work in the movie’s favor. For many,Jackson’sLord of the Ringstrilogy is held on a very high pedestal, and this movie is an opportunity for those people to return to that vision of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth.
Jackson will return to Middle-earth as an executive producer once more with Andy Serkis' upcomingThe Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum.
What remains to be seen, however, is what the crossover looks like betweenLord of the Ringsfans and anime fans. The medium alone could be enough to turn off some who love Jackson’s trilogy, despite the animation shown off thus far being quite striking. Based on the opening few minutes,The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimis looking like a worthy return to Middle-earth.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Cast
Set before the events of the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an animated action-adventure fantasy film that follows a King of Rohan named Helm Hammerhand. When his home comes under siege by Dunlendings, Hammerhand prepares himself and his allies to fight back against them, with the war leading to the eventual establishment of Helm’s Deep.
