Here's your first look at the Lord of the Rings animated prequel

It appears that Warner Bros. isn't done with its ventures into Middle-earth just yet. Almost a decade after The Hobbit trilogy ended, Warner Bros. is back with a prequel film set in the same cinematic universe. However, unlike previous live-action outings, the upcoming The Lord of the Rings film will be the animated sort.

If you thought The Battle of Helm's Deep was massive, an animated take on a similarly huge conflict could be even more amazing.

First announced last summer, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is an animated prequel set 250 years before 2001's The Fellowship of the Ring. In addition to New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Animation, Kenji Kamiyama will direct the project that will shine the spotlight on Helm's Deep, a massive and nigh-impregnable fortress first seen in 2002's The Two Towers. The story will also delve deep into the adventures of Rohan's reigning monarch at the time, Helm Hammerhand.

Warner Bros. is still hard at work on the project more than two years before its April 12, 2024, release, but the studio just dropped a photo teasing an incoming battle.

As shared with Variety, the concept art teases an epic brawl featuring what appears to be the Dunlendings trying to breach the capital of Rohan, Edoras. If the film follows the lore strictly, the battle might be when the Dunlendings successfully invaded and laid claim to Rohan. Of course, this is just a wild guess and it might just be a random battle in a film filled with a handful of them. Either way, the animated format guaranteed an unprecedented amount of detail for the War of the Rohirrim, as it gives the director far more creative freedom than a live-action film.

Interestingly enough, the first look comes just days after the current owners put the rights for J.R.R. Tolkien's titles up for sales.

As previously mentioned, War of the Rohirrim isn't going to be here for a little over two years, so fans will just have to make do with this single concept art for now.

In other news, Amazon Prime Video just dropped its first official trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power at Super Bowl LVI following a small tease last January. The upcoming fantasy TV series will be set in its universe but will still be inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's books. It will see the events of the Second Age, a time when Sauron first rose to power after crafting the One Ring to gain control over the other Rings of Power.

Here's your first look at the Lord of the Rings animated prequel

Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim is set around 250 years before the events of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Posted by Ray Ampoloquio