'The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim' Anime Film Is Coming to Theaters

Deadline has learned that New Line Productions is teaming up with Warner Bros. Animation for the forthcoming theatrical release of the anime film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.

It’s uncertain if Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, the duo behind the Lord of the Rings trilogy, will be involved in the making of War of the Rohirrim, but fellow screenwriter Philippa Boyens is already attached to the project as a consultant. Kenji Kamiyama (anime TV series Blade Runner: Black Lotus and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) will direct, with Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews penning the script.

War of the Rohirrim will serve as a companion piece prequel to the Lord of the Rings trilogy and will focus on the fortress of Helm’s Deep, while also looking into Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan.

“All of us at New Line feel a deep affinity for the extraordinary world J.R.R. Tolkien created, so the opportunity to dive back into Middle-earth with the team at Warner Bros. Animation is a dream come true,” Warner Bros. and New Line said in a statement.

“Fans know Helm’s Deep as the stage for one of the greatest battles ever put to film and, with many of the same creative visionaries involved and the brilliant Kenji Kamiyama at the helm, we couldn’t be more excited to deliver a fresh vision of its history that will invite global audiences to experience the rich, complex saga of Middle-earth in a thrilling new way,” the statement continued.

War of the Rohirrim will also not interfere with Amazon’s upcoming Lord of the Rings series, which is set during the second age, as opposed to the anime film’s place in the third age. In April, it was reported that the series will cost nearly half a billion dollars after the streaming platform spent $250 million alone just to secure the rights.

The Amazon series is slated for a late 2021 release.