J.R.R. Tolkien, he’s so hot right now, J.R.R. Tolkien.
Yesterday, Amazon unveiled the first trailer for their live-action Lord of the Rings television series, which is going to run for at least five seasons on their Prime Video streaming service. That show premieres this fall. About a year and a half later, we’ll get a totally new (and unrelated) animated movie based on Tolkien’s novels.
It’s titled The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim and according to the press release, it “explores and expands the untold story behind the fortress of Helm’s Deep, delving into the life and bloodsoaked times of one of Middle-earth’s most legendary figures; the mighty King of Rohan – Helm Hammerhand.” The movie is directed by Kenji Kamiyama of the recent Blade Runner: Black Lotus series, and produced by Philippa Boyens, one of the key members of the writing and producing team behind the Lord of The Rings live-action film series.
Warner Bros. announced today that The War of the Rohirrim will be released to theaters on April 12, 2024. They also noted that animation work on the film has already begun and that announcements about casting for the film are coming “imminently.”
They also provided this concept artwork for the film from Weta Workshop:
It’s been a relatively quiet time for Lord of the Rings fans since Peter Jackson concluded his trilogy of movies based on Tolkien’s The Hobbit with 2014’s The Battle of the Five Armies. But that pretty much ends this fall. After that, it’s gonna be all Middle-earth, all the time.
Great Movies That Became Horrible Franchises
Sometimes the best movies make the worst franchises. In the ten examples below, inventive, groundbreaking cinema became the source material for some of our least favorite film series.
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