Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim Will Bring Back Miranda Otto As Éowyn
"The Lord of the Rings" is heading into new territory that fans have never seen before, and at least one familiar face (voice?) will be guiding us there.
Announced almost exactly a year ago, "The War of the Rohirrim" will mark the franchise's first foray into anime — though not animation in general, as Ralph Bakshi famously adapted "The Lord of the Rings" through rotoscope animation in 1978 — while delving into events taking place almost 200 years before Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Referred to as Rohirrim collectively, the people of Rohan played an integral role throughout "The Two Towers" and "The Return of the King," seen mainly through the eyes of King Théoden's (Bernard Hill) niece Éowyn. Played by Miranda Otto, the actor will once again reprise her role as the tenacious leader with a key voice role in "The War of the Rohirrim," as revealed today by Deadline. Though the character wasn't alive during that time, Otto will serve as the narrator of the anime film, retelling the story of King Helm Hammerhand that has been passed down as legend and myth to the people of Rohan over the years.
But that's not all. The series will welcome aboard a talented voice cast that also includes Brian Cox ("Succession"), Gaia Wise ("A Walk in the Woods"), Lorraine Ashbourne ("Bridgerton"), and many more as Warner Bros. seeks to expand the incredibly profitable world of Middle-earth even further.
The War of the Rohirrim rounds out its voice cast
As reported previously, "The War of the Rohirrim" boasts visuals taken directly from Jackson's trilogy and will premiere in 2024. Cox will voice Helm Hammerhand himself, the warrior king of Rohan who led the kingdom of Rohan to victory at a crucial time in their history and ultimately lent his name to the fortress location known as Helm's Deep, which hosted a pivotal battle many years later, as seen in "The Two Towers." His daughter Hera will play a significant role in the film as well, voiced by Gaia Wise. Their chief enemy is Wulf, described as a rival lord "seeking vengeance for the death of his father," will be voiced by Luke Pasqualino ("Snowpiercer").
The rest of the cast will be filled out by Yazdan Qafouri, Benjamin Wainwright, Laurence Ubong Williams, Shaun Dooley, Michael Wildman, Jude Akuwudike, Bilal Hasna, and Janine Duvitski. Directed by Kenji Kamiyama, "The War of the Rohirrim" is written by Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou (with Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews attached to an earlier draft the script) and based on the appendices featured at the end of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Return of the King." Philippa Boyens, one of the writers of Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit," will executive produce this anime film and is joined by another trio of names that will be very familiar to fans of the original trilogy: famous illustrators Alan Lee and John Howe, and Richard Taylor of Wētā Workshop.
"The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim" will debut in theaters on April 12, 2024.