New Line Cinema surprised fans this August with a surprise trailer for its new “The Lord of the Rings” movie: “The War of the Rohirrim.” Set to release December 13, 2024, the film is a prequel to the award winning “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy. It will tell the story of two Rohirrim, Helm Hammerhand and his daughter, Héra, along with providing story and lore to the Rohan. However, the most notable and shocking aspect of the film is its format; unlike its live action predecessors, it will be an anime. Despite this, most fans look forward to the film.
“I think it makes sense to have different formats,” said theology teacher and “The Lord of the Rings” fan Dr. Jonathan King. The Lord of the Rings series is no stranger to being animated. After all, it first appeared on screens as an animated film back in 1977 with “The Hobbit”. Dr. King also thought the story had potential, as the books left room for it to be expanded on.
“I think the Rohirrim were interesting and I think it would be cool to have more backstory there,” said Dr. King.
“I’m hopeful for this whole thing,” said senior Aiden McLeod. He was less concerned about the format and more concerned about the fact that the “Lord of the Rings” TV series, “The Rings of Power”, had left much to be desired.
”The Rings of Power disappointed me,” said McLeod. “I’m still hopeful.”
Not everyone has the same views, though.
”I feel like they should, like, leave things alone that are already original,” said senior Brendan Patten, “I feel like it’s a little bit off.”
Since it is an anime produced in the west, it may discourage some fans of anime from watching. However, the fact that japansese anime director Kenji Kamiyama will be directing the movie could restore hope to fans.
“Yes. Especially since he’s from Japan he knows what the people—yeah, he knows the culture more,” said senior Maggie Mrema, an anime fan. ”I might watch it, honestly.”
Despite the discontent on “The Rings of Power” and its surprising format, fans are hopeful about “The War of the Rohirrim”. It remains to be seen if the movie is a success, yet fans are looking forward to December 13, when they get to experience this shocking but promising film for the first time.