Annecy, France — Critics have been treated to a pre-screening of the Lord of the Rings animated prequel at one of the world’s largest animation festivals in France.
The Rohirrim War, set to take place in April 2024, takes place 250 years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s main trilogy.
It is directed by Kenji Kamiyama who worked on the historical manga “Akira” in 1988.
Although based on background elements in the supplements to the original books, the central character, Princess Hera, is never named by Tolkien.
The opening scene, shown at the Annecy Animated Film Festival in southeastern France on Tuesday, featured Hera crossing a rocky area and being approached by a giant eagle.
His father, the King of Rohan, played by Brian Cox, became a global icon after playing the patriarch in the hit series Succession.
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on: Warner Bros. Announced new “Lord of the Rings” movies
Executive producer Philippa Boyens admitted that there was not much to do with the extras, but that they found “three important paragraphs” to use as the basis of the story.
“We didn’t want to make her a warrior princess kind of thing,” Boyens said of the title character. “It’s not just about war, it’s about the wreckage of war — which fits anime perfectly.”
Boyens co-wrote trilogies on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit with director Peter Jackson, but said she felt “too old” for an anime, and passed the baton on to his daughter, Phoebe Gittens.
With media companies processing the familiar labels of a seemingly endless string of sequels, sequels, reboots, and spin-offs, Tolkien’s vast universe was a treasure trove.
Amazon has invested over a billion dollars in making a TV series and is currently working on a video game.
Warner Bros. He announced in February that he was planning “several” new movies based on the beloved books.
on: Amazon announces ‘Lord of the Rings’ video game
