In a surprising turn of events, New Line’s highly anticipated animated film, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, is undergoing a release date change. Originally set for April 12, 2024, the movie will now hit theaters on December 13, 2023. This decision was prompted by a chain-reaction of release date changes within Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment.
Legendary Entertainment’s Dune: Part Two was initially scheduled for release on November 3, 2023. However, due to the unavailability of its cast to promote the film during the ongoing actors strike, it has been pushed back to March 15, 2024. Consequently, this rescheduling led to another shift in release dates, affecting Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, which was moved to April 12, 2024.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an anime feature directed by Kenji Kamiyama. It takes place 183 years before the events portrayed in the original New Line Lord of the Rings trilogy. This prequel explores the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the powerful King of Rohan, a character mentioned in J.R.R. Tolkien’s book appendix.
The animated movie boasts an impressive voice cast, with Brian Cox lending his vocal talents to the protagonist, Helm Hammerhand. Other notable cast members include Gaia Wise, Miranda Otto, Lorraine Ashbourne, Yazdan Qafouri, Benjamin Wainwright, Laurence Ubong Williams, Shaun Dooley, Michael Wildman, Jude Akuwudike, Bilal Hasna, and Janine Duvitski.
Executive producer Philippa Boyens, an Oscar winner known for her work on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, ensures a high level of creative involvement. Joseph Chou takes on the role of producer, while the screenplay is written by Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou. They adapted the script from Jeffrey Addiss & Will Matthews’ work based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s book, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. Returning collaborators from the original trilogy include Oscar winners Alan Lee and Richard Taylor, as well as esteemed Tolkien illustrator John Howe.
Perhaps one of the motivations for the release date change is the opportunity to face off against Sony’s reboot of The Karate Kid. The Lord of the Rings franchise has traditionally dominated the December year-end holiday period, and New Line hopes their animated feature will continue that streak.
While The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim has found its new release date, Sony is still grappling with the scheduling of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse. The highly anticipated sequel to the successful Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is temporarily undated due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike and actors’ unavailability to record their voices. Spider-Man fans will have to wait for official updates on the new release date.
The release date change for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim has generated significant buzz in the entertainment industry. Fans eagerly await this prequel to the beloved trilogy, and the new December release date positions the film as a potential holiday blockbuster. With an acclaimed voice cast and a team of seasoned professionals working behind the scenes, The War of the Rohirrim promises to be a captivating addition to the Lord of the Rings universe.