Netflix writers of The Dark Chrystal Series and Philippa Boyens as a consultant with Warner Bros. and Newline is planning an anime titled, The War of the Rohirrim.
I think if some fans are bent out of shape with what Amazon is doing, I don't expect much better treatment from the people involved in this project. Although highlighting one story and having a central character (Helm) out from the Appendices is a much easier task than compressing thousands of years, and juggling 20+ "main" characters into Isildur's lifespan. It'll be interesting to see reactions to this adaptation too, when more news comes out about it.
With adaptations, I've given up expecting faithfulness to the source material, I just want to watch something entertaining. Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings was entertaining, his Hobbit was dull and uninspiring.
War of the Rohirrim...Anime?
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Philippa Boyens is involved; why would anyone expect faithfulness? 
I'm open to the possibility of this being good—and Boyens could well be part of the reason for that, if she's writing more like she did for LOTR than for TH—but the screenwriters for WOTR will have to invent most of the specifics of the plot as well as characterization and motivation. The little we see of Helm in Appendix A is, shall we say, not pleasant, so it'll be interesting to see if the film glosses over his racism against Dunlendings for the sake of making him a conventionally heroic figure, or if they'll lean into the moral nuance. The book version of The Two Towers sort of acknowledges this nuance: Gamling describes the Dunlendings' grievance against the Rohirrim and doesn't try to argue that Rohan being built on an act of ethnic cleansing was actually totally okay (TTT, III 7). The film left this out, but we see very little of the Dunlendings in the movies anyway.
I'm open to the possibility of this being good—and Boyens could well be part of the reason for that, if she's writing more like she did for LOTR than for TH—but the screenwriters for WOTR will have to invent most of the specifics of the plot as well as characterization and motivation. The little we see of Helm in Appendix A is, shall we say, not pleasant, so it'll be interesting to see if the film glosses over his racism against Dunlendings for the sake of making him a conventionally heroic figure, or if they'll lean into the moral nuance. The book version of The Two Towers sort of acknowledges this nuance: Gamling describes the Dunlendings' grievance against the Rohirrim and doesn't try to argue that Rohan being built on an act of ethnic cleansing was actually totally okay (TTT, III 7). The film left this out, but we see very little of the Dunlendings in the movies anyway.
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Coming to theaters in April 2024 according to this Collidor Article
There is a couple parts in Appendix A that this project is being based on... 'The House of Eorl' and a good paragraph in 'The Stewards'. So far, the only 'reach' is to have mumakil in the Haradian invasion fleet, which isn't much of a reach at all.
First mention is in the section titled 'Stewards':
'In the days of Beren, the ninteenth Steward, an even greater peril came upon Gondor. Three great fleets, long prepared, came up from Umbar and the Harad, and assailed the coasts of Gondor in great force; and the enemy made many landings, even as far north as the mouth of the Isen. At the time Rohan was assailed from the west and the east, and the land was overrun, and they were driven into the dales of the White Mountains. In that year (2758) the Long Winter began with cold and great snows out of the north and the east which lasted for almost five months. Helm of Rohan and both his sons perished in that war, and there was misery and death in Eriador and in Rohan. But in Gondor south of the mountains things were less evil, and before spring came Beregond son of Beren had overcome the invaders. At once he sent aid to Rohan. He was the greatest captain that had arisen in Gondor since Boromir; and when he succeeded his father (2763) Gondor began to recover its strength. But Rohan was slower to be healed of the hurts that it had received. It was for this reason that Beren welcomed Saruman, and gave to him the keys of Orthanc; and from that year on (2759) Saruman dwelt in Isengard.'
Second is in the section 'House of Eorl':
'Four years later (2758) great troubles came to Rohan, and no help could be sent from Gondor, for three fleets of Corsairs attacked it and there was war on all its coasts. At the same time Rohan was again invaded from the East, and the Dunlendings seeing their chance came over the Isen and down from Isengard. It was soon known that Wulf was their leader. They were in great force, for they were joined by enemies of Gondor that landed at the mouths of Lefnui and Isen.'
The account given of Helm Hammerhand in The House of Eorl is fairly detailed with the marriage politics and mixed blood and such. It will be interesting to see how the racism is dealt with in this.
There is a couple parts in Appendix A that this project is being based on... 'The House of Eorl' and a good paragraph in 'The Stewards'. So far, the only 'reach' is to have mumakil in the Haradian invasion fleet, which isn't much of a reach at all.
First mention is in the section titled 'Stewards':
'In the days of Beren, the ninteenth Steward, an even greater peril came upon Gondor. Three great fleets, long prepared, came up from Umbar and the Harad, and assailed the coasts of Gondor in great force; and the enemy made many landings, even as far north as the mouth of the Isen. At the time Rohan was assailed from the west and the east, and the land was overrun, and they were driven into the dales of the White Mountains. In that year (2758) the Long Winter began with cold and great snows out of the north and the east which lasted for almost five months. Helm of Rohan and both his sons perished in that war, and there was misery and death in Eriador and in Rohan. But in Gondor south of the mountains things were less evil, and before spring came Beregond son of Beren had overcome the invaders. At once he sent aid to Rohan. He was the greatest captain that had arisen in Gondor since Boromir; and when he succeeded his father (2763) Gondor began to recover its strength. But Rohan was slower to be healed of the hurts that it had received. It was for this reason that Beren welcomed Saruman, and gave to him the keys of Orthanc; and from that year on (2759) Saruman dwelt in Isengard.'
Second is in the section 'House of Eorl':
'Four years later (2758) great troubles came to Rohan, and no help could be sent from Gondor, for three fleets of Corsairs attacked it and there was war on all its coasts. At the same time Rohan was again invaded from the East, and the Dunlendings seeing their chance came over the Isen and down from Isengard. It was soon known that Wulf was their leader. They were in great force, for they were joined by enemies of Gondor that landed at the mouths of Lefnui and Isen.'
The account given of Helm Hammerhand in The House of Eorl is fairly detailed with the marriage politics and mixed blood and such. It will be interesting to see how the racism is dealt with in this.
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I couldn’t agree more with this take.
Thanks for posting this! I wasn’t aware. Seems potentially very interesting. The story of Helm is a pretty good one to chose and I agree with @Eldy Dunami about seeing how they deal with the Dunlendings with the treatment they were given in the films.
I think it could be popular, as far as animated series goes. The animation lets them explore the story without requiring a huge budget and I agree that having it focused on the story of a single character, or small number of them, at one period of time should make it easier. Personally I’m very interested in the subject matter so I’ll be excited to see it. Sounds like 2024 though?
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So an anime.... Honestly not sure on that medium for Riders of Rohan but honestly when you think of the first LotR and Hobbit movies were done by some of the biggest animation studios out of Japan so in terms of that... I am willing to accept it. The story of Helm as has been said is probably an excellent story for this sort of an adaption and will allow some excellent imagery without breaking the bank in terms of special effects like a live action would require in terms of horses, and hopefully how they treat the Dunlendings in this as well however 2024 is a ways away at this point and hopefully we will see some amazing animations for this.
I am 50/50 on Phillipa Boyens mostly because while the LOTR was good over all to me (it wasn't perfect but again it's an adaptation not an unabridged version that is faithful word for word) The Hobbit trilogy outside of the first (which was acceptable) was so far off course for me I have never even managed to watch the extended editions of it (I have watched the illegal Tolkien edit which cut out anything that wasn't in the books)
I am 50/50 on Phillipa Boyens mostly because while the LOTR was good over all to me (it wasn't perfect but again it's an adaptation not an unabridged version that is faithful word for word) The Hobbit trilogy outside of the first (which was acceptable) was so far off course for me I have never even managed to watch the extended editions of it (I have watched the illegal Tolkien edit which cut out anything that wasn't in the books)
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An interview with Philippa about War of the Rohirrim is here:
https://www.theonering.net/torwp/2022/0 ... ering-net/
I have to say I don’t love the name Héra, but I quite like the idea that Miranda Otto is returning to narrate as Éowyn.
https://www.theonering.net/torwp/2022/0 ... ering-net/
I have to say I don’t love the name Héra, but I quite like the idea that Miranda Otto is returning to narrate as Éowyn.
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There's a lot of interesting stuff in that interview, and it makes me somewhat more optimistic about this project. I particularly hope that they follow through on acknowledging that Helm, and his decision-making, was seriously flawed. That's something that often gets lost in discussion of his story, in my experience.
She says the role — and the film — is about delving into Helm’s choices.
“And the mistakes he made as well. And then his acknowledgement of those mistakes. Was there an acknowledgement of those mistakes?” she asks.
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Come again...there's an illegal Tolkien edit, you say? You may consider my curiosity to be piqued.Fuin Elda wrote: ↑Tue Feb 22, 2022 4:05 am I am 50/50 on Phillipa Boyens mostly because while the LOTR was good over all to me (it wasn't perfect but again it's an adaptation not an unabridged version that is faithful word for word) The Hobbit trilogy outside of the first (which was acceptable) was so far off course for me I have never even managed to watch the extended editions of it (I have watched the illegal Tolkien edit which cut out anything that wasn't in the books)
I was extremely skeptical when I read about this project initially. However, the recent chit-chat about it in the media and online has heated my hopes. I think it has a lot of potential. Choosing a story that is "recent history" in relation to the events of LotR, but is also far enough removed from recognizable characters from the trilogy, is a smart, safe bet. I think it has a lot of potential, and (I can't believe I'm saying this, but...) I'm encouraged by the presence of Philippa Boyens. I know that she was the wild card in the writer's room of the Lord of the Rings, but in the era of "hey, let's revisit a beloved franchise and ret-con it for profit", an experienced guiding hand may go a long way in developing an interpretation that is both faithful and entertaining. We'll see!
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Indeed I don't know if I can find it anymore but someone took ALL three of the films and cut out anything that wasn't in the book I believe they compressed it down to about 5 - 6 hours? It's been forever since I watched it and I do not know if it exists online anymore, it was better and considering the extensive cutting not as clunky as it could have been. So I can't point you in any particular direction.Fingolfin of Hithlum wrote: ↑Sat Aug 27, 2022 2:36 am
Come again...there's an illegal Tolkien edit, you say? You may consider my curiosity to be piqued.
I was extremely skeptical when I read about this project initially. However, the recent chit-chat about it in the media and online has heated my hopes. I think it has a lot of potential. Choosing a story that is "recent history" in relation to the events of LotR, but is also far enough removed from recognizable characters from the trilogy, is a smart, safe bet. I think it has a lot of potential, and (I can't believe I'm saying this, but...) I'm encouraged by the presence of Philippa Boyens. I know that she was the wild card in the writer's room of the Lord of the Rings, but in the era of "hey, let's revisit a beloved franchise and ret-con it for profit", an experienced guiding hand may go a long way in developing an interpretation that is both faithful and entertaining. We'll see!
I do hope that Philippa Boyens is a steadier hand on this as I've heard similar chit chat as well. So I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.
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That sounds like it was a labor of love. I may have to go spelunking on the internet for that one!
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Maybe it's because I was introduced to Lord of the Rings through Rankin/Bass and Bakshi films, but I've always felt like animation (and thus by extension anime) to be the way to go with fantasy, epic, grimdark, or s&s. A few years ago I even daydreamed of making a series or something with a big dungeon synth score, but that is utterly beside the point.
I was actually excited to hear about this particular anime (with or without Boyens involvement). I don't want anything close to a LOTR cinematic universe, but I would like to see more adaptations in more mediums. It seems natural that eventually they would look at anime to tell a story.
I can't remember how long ago I heard but apparently Miranda Otto is going to be onboard as a narrator? That sort of news gives me confidence.
I was actually excited to hear about this particular anime (with or without Boyens involvement). I don't want anything close to a LOTR cinematic universe, but I would like to see more adaptations in more mediums. It seems natural that eventually they would look at anime to tell a story.
I can't remember how long ago I heard but apparently Miranda Otto is going to be onboard as a narrator? That sort of news gives me confidence.
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@Mortiis, yes and Brian Cox is voicing Helm, can't go wrong with choosing him, in my opinion. 2024 seems so far away, but hey 2023 is about to be upon us 
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Ohhhhh Miranda Otto and Brian Cox? NICE. Especially Miranda as the narrator, very very much hoping that one is true. As for it being close to the cinematic universe. Meh. I don't care about that, I just want it to not royally mess up the story a la Hobbit style. Give me amazing Studio Ghibli style Rohan and action with fantastic action and morbid death and destruction lol
I have to admit I've been so busy with non LOTR things that The Ring of Power has gotten most off my attention of late. And I can officially say that some of the images coming from it have me miffed that they could mess up the characters that badly (I'm still holding out that the story will be good)
I have to admit I've been so busy with non LOTR things that The Ring of Power has gotten most off my attention of late. And I can officially say that some of the images coming from it have me miffed that they could mess up the characters that badly (I'm still holding out that the story will be good)
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I hope for this one the English voice-acting is as good as the Japanese voice-acting will be. I wonder what end-suffixes the characters will use as their voice tic. Will there be a hot springs episode in the Glittering Caves?
Note that I have done absolutely no research on this topic and will be disappointed if this is a 'cartoon' instead of an 'anime'
Note that I have done absolutely no research on this topic and will be disappointed if this is a 'cartoon' instead of an 'anime'
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@Boromir88 Brian Cox? Well, I'll be damned. 2024 can't come soon enough
@Fuin Elda I'm reminded with that Ghibli comment that awhile back on Twitter there was a #TolkienGhibli or something similar with really great artwork
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@Fuin Elda I'm reminded with that Ghibli comment that awhile back on Twitter there was a #TolkienGhibli or something similar with really great artwork
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I've been told I have to "be nice" so I have edited for content
Last edited by Dungeon Delver on Sat Aug 27, 2022 7:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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@Mortiis That's exactly where my brain went to with the TolkienGhibli hashtag. Honestly a lot of the art was stunning.
I'm with Elf though I'll be VERY disappointed if it turns out to be a cartoon instead of an anime.
I'm with Elf though I'll be VERY disappointed if it turns out to be a cartoon instead of an anime.
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Maybe there will be some Dunlending catgirls, uwu?
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As long as I don't hear 'Senpai Helm notice me' I think we'll be good 
(Watch it'll be some monster orc or the boar instead.)
(Watch it'll be some monster orc or the boar instead.)
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I came across this the other day. It's happening and will be out April 2024.
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It looks like due to the Screenwriters' and the SAG-AFTA strikes, this has been tentatively pushed out to December 2024. There will probably be a lot of delays and postponements announced as it doesn't appear the studios don't want to pay writers anything. It's why 'seasons' of shows have contracted from 20 to 13 to 10 to 8 or less. Contract a writer for less, like booking an uber driver. The actors have a serious grievance too with their likeness being generated by AI and they don't get paid for it. Hopefully things will work out, but I'm having a hard time seeing it. Sorry... sort of went on a rant here when I was just going to comment on the date postponement.
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