Warner Bros. Animation, New Line Cinema, and Sola Entertainment previewed 20 minutes of its upcoming anime feature The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, receiving thunderous applause during a packed presentation on Tuesday at the Annecy Animation Festival.
Director Kenji Kamiyama expressed his admiration for not just J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, but also for the films of Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, who were announced as executive producers.
The story is set almost 200 years before Bilbo Baggins encounters the ring of power. It focuses on the House of Helm Hammerhand, King of Rohan (voiced by Brian Cox). His daughter, Princess Hera (voiced by Gaia Wise), plays a pivotal role. A council dispute in a clip shown leaves Wulf, a ruthless Dunlending lord, seeking revenge. Miranda Otto reprises her role as Éowyn, now narrating.
Kamiyama remarked, There is such power to the story
, with translation assistance.
He was joined by producers Philippa Boyens (also a co-writer), Jason DeMarco, and Joseph Chou, in an engaging session with Andy Serkis.
DeMarco highlighted their aim: while drawing from Jackson’s cinematic style, they wanted to create a distinct Kamiyama film.The fans are going to go nuts for this
, exclaimed Serkis. He will return as Gollum in Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which he will also direct. Additionally, he teased his performance-capture adaptation of Orwell’s Animal Farm.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim opens in North America on December 13 and internationally beginning December 11.
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