Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim – cast, story, trailer and release date

Return to Middle-earth this December in the visually striking and action-packed Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. You've never seen a Lord of the Rings movie quite like this before so scroll down for all the essential information on the story, cast, trailer and release date.

What is Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim about?

Lord of the Rings The War of the Rohirrim takes place 183 years before the events of Peter Jackson's live-action Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003) and centres on Helm Hammerhand, the ninth King of Rohan, and the last of the first line of its Kings.

The film is based on a story by Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien that was included in the appendices, specifically the 'House of Eorl' section in Appendix A which details the history of Rohan's rulers.

The film is an origin story exploring how the king must defend his land against an army of Dunlendings. A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father Freca, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg – a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm’s Deep.

Who directs Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim?

The film is directed by the noted anime filmmaker Kenji Kamiyama. His achievements include the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex anime television series and Blade Runner: Black Lotus, an anime for Adult Swim and Crunchyroll.

Kamiyama also worked as a background artist on the revered animes Akira (1988) and Studio Ghibli's Kiki's Delivery Service (2002). The film is co-produced by Lord of the Rings trilogy writer Philippa Boyens who also takes a story credit with Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews. Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou are also credited on the screenplay.

Boyens says (via The OneRing.net), "[Helm's role] spans a lot of different emotions... And the mistakes he made as well. And then his acknowledgment of those mistakes. Was there an acknowledgment of those mistakes?"

Is Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim the first anime Lord of the Rings movie?

Yes, this is the first Lord of the Rings movie to be rendered in anime, although Tolkien's work has been given the animated treatment before. In 1977, The Hobbit was adapted as an animated movie with the voices of Orson Bean as Bilbo Baggins and John Huston as Gandalf.

In a joint statement, Warner Bros’ Carolyn Blackwood and New Line’s Richard Brener said: “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.”

Who is in the voice cast?

Succession star Brian Cox voices Helm Hammerhand. Boyens says Cox's casting was inspired by his role in the 1987 production of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus.

“It was just one of those ones which was fresh and shocking,” she says. “And it [the Andronicus role] wasn’t a role — this is from Brian himself — that many of the other actors were interested in taking on. But he connected to it. I couldn’t get a ticket, but I had a couple of friends saw it and were just blown away.

"And they talked about the way in which his rage was fuelled by this grief. And the underlying horror that was in the storytelling."

Miranda Otto, who played Eowyn, the daughter of King Theoden (Bernard Hill) in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, returns to act as War of the Rohirrim's narrator. Boyens says: "Her voice was familiar. And then I think it started to come easily for the writers.

"It’s also so fragmentary, what we are dealing with in terms of the source material. It’s little bits of references here and there … so the oral tradition felt kind of right. The oral tradition of her telling the tale, passing the tale on."

Skins and Snowpiercer star Luke Pasqualino voices Helm Hammerhand's sworn nemesis Wulf, Gaia Wise voices Helm's brave daughter Hera and Shaun Dooley voices Freca, Wulf's father, a Dunlending lord with Rohirric blood.