Summary

  • The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is linked to Peter Jackson's classic trilogy, with Miranda Otto returning as Éowyn.
  • The prequel explores a dark chapter in Rohan's history and is set over 260 years before The Fellowship of the Ring.
  • Warner Bros' anime movie emphasizes the connections to Jackson's franchise, distinguishing it from Amazon's separate The Rings of Power TV show.

One returnee for the The Lord of the Rings movies is still being felt in the fantasy genre. There was a sharp uptick in fantasy blockbusters and TV shows in the aftermath of their success, and while the subsequent The Hobbit trilogy may have proved disappointing to many, there will always be a lot of love for what Jackson and his team achieved with the franchise.

This is what makes the The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim so intriguing. This animated adventure is due for release at the end of 2024 and features a cast that includes Succession's Brian Cox and Gaia Wise. War of the Rohirrim takes place in the kingdom of Rohan, where Cox's King Helm Hammerhand must defend his people against an attack by the Dunlendings, and take refuge in the stronghold of Hornburg. Lovers of J.R.R. Tolkien's books will know that Hornberg was later renamed "Helm's Deep" in honor of Hammerhand.

Hera holds up her sword in front of a group of wildlings attacking with an elephant in Lord of the Rings War of The Rohirrim.
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Miranda Otto's Éowyn Will Narrate War Of The Rohirrim

Miranda Otto as Eowyn and Lord of the Rings War of the Rohirrim art

Another exciting thing about Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is its canon links to Jackson's films. The War of the Rohirrim is set around 260 years before the events of The Fellowship of the Ring and shines a light on a particularly dark chapter in Rohan's history. Viewers shouldn't expect to see the likes of Gandalf (Ian McKellen) or Viggo Mortensen's Aragorn, though War of the Rohirrim will feature the return of Miranda Otto's Éowyn, who acts as the anime movie's narrator.

Éowyn's brother Éomer was played by Karl Urban (The Boys) in the second and third parts of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Presumably, Éowyn won't appear onscreen, but having her narrate the tale makes sense. It also provides an organic link to The Lord of the Rings trilogy, while still giving the stage to a new cast of characters. The story will ultimately focus on Helm and his daughter Hera (Wise), but Éowyn framing the battle for viewers is a nice touch.

Éowyn's Lord Of The Rings Return Confirms A Break From Another Big Adaptation

Morfydd Clark and Charlie Vickers as Galadriel and Halbrand in The Rings of Power with an image of the One Ring as a border

The Tolkien estate was vocally unhappy with Jackson's films - feeling they dumbed down the source material - and with Amazon's The Rings of Power, they set out to create a more "pure" adaptation. Hence, Rings of Power is in a separate continuity from Jackson's Lord of the Rings. With Éowyn's return in The War of the Rohirrim, Warner Bros is making it clear the prequel is tied into The Lord of the Rings franchise spearheaded by Jackson.

The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies are all available to stream on Max.

It should noted Peter Jackson himself isn't involved with The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, though his creative partner Phillippa Boyens - who co-wrote the Rings and Hobbit trilogies - acted as a consultant. Jackson also had no participation in The Rings of Power, despite being initially ed by Amazon over it; this is likely due to the aforementioned desire by the Tolkien estate to keep the show and films apart.