The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim – Release date, plot, cast & more

Hera as seen in Lord of the Rings: War of the RohirrimWarner Bros

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is shaping up to be an epic animated journey set in the same universe as the larger Lord of the Rings films and books.

The Lord of the Rings is one of the most iconic fantasy universes ever. Author J.R.R. Tolkien’s novels have all been adapted into feature-length films, with all having been met with both critical acclaim as well as community adoration.

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While the franchise had been put to rest after the Hobbit trilogy, The Lord of Rings world has expanded after Amazon Prime premiered a new series, The Rings of Power, on the streaming platform in 2022.

The Lord of the Rings may be best known for its spectacular live-action adaptations, but the iconic fantasy franchise is set to delve into the realm of animation with The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim release date

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is set to release on December 13, 2024.

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Despite an initial plan to launch the film globally on April 12, 2024, the project has been hit with an eight-month delay amid the recent WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

The animated feature is being developed by New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Animation. New Line Cinema is the same company that worked on the original The Lord of The Rings trilogy in the early 2000s.

The War of the Rohirrim plot: What is the animated movie going to be about?

War of the RohirrimAmazon Studios
The Lord of the Rings is one of the most beloved fantasy worlds of all time.

One of the things that sets The Lord of the Rings apart from other fantasy worlds is the deep level of history and lore that surrounds the original story. As such, The War of Rohirrim will take place over two hundred years before Frodo’s journey to destroy the One Ring.

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The War of the Rohirrim will tell the story of Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan, who created and defended Helm’s Deep against the Dunlending attackers. Fans of the original trilogy may recognize the name of the location of Helm’s Deep as being the main stronghold featured throughout The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.

The story hinges largely on Hammerhand’s failure and the subsequent war that stems from his shortcomings.

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However, despite its distance from the live-action timeline we’ve seen thus far, creators have still teased that “a character or two we recognize” will show up in the animated flick.

The War of the Rohirrim characters: Who will be in the animated movie? 

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is set to have some big names – or should we say voices – attached that audiences are likely to recognize right away.

  • Brian Cox as Helm Hammerhand
  • Luke Pasqualino as Wulf
  • Shaun Dooley as Freca
  • Laurence Ubong Williams as Fréaláf
  • Gaia Wise as Hera Hammerhand
  • Lorraine Ashbourne
  • Yazdan Qafouri
  • Benjamin Wainwright
  • Michael Wildman
  • Jude Akuwudike
  • Bilal Hasna
  • Janine Duvitski

It was also recently revealed that Mirando Otto – best known for playing the role of Eowyn in The Two Towers and Return of the King – will reprise her role for the movie and will serve as the narrator.

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Be sure to check back in with this section as we update it with the latest and newest casting announcements.

Does The War of the Rohirrim have a trailer?

The trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim was released on August 22, 2024.

The trailer showcases the kind of kinetic action you would expect from Kamiyama. The film will showcase several tense encounters and some truly gorgeous animated sequences, all set in a time before The Fellowship of the Ring.

If you’re eager for more of The Lord of the Rings, read everything we know about the upcoming The Rings of Power Season 2, or the cut scene from Return of the King that caught fans off guard.

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We also have breakdowns on Rings of Power’s missing character, the Season 2 trailer, and Cate Blanchett‘s shockingly low LOTR payday.