Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy team is back with a new animated feature this month, with producer Philippa Boyens stating that the new The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim anime film was a test to see if they were ready to go back to Middle-earth.

The War of the Rohirrim is set to be released in theaters on Dec. 13, and Boyens, along with Lord of the Rings’ Fran Walsh and Jackson, are among the film’s producers. The movie tells the tale of Helm Hammerhand, voiced by Brian Cox (Succession), who is referenced in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at the Battle of Helm’s Deep. The film also marks Boyens’ next chapter back into the world of J.R.R. Tolkien. Per GamesRadar+ via SFX Magazine, the producer said, “Rohirrim was us testing the waters for ourselves. Can we go back to Middle-earth? Should we go back? And it’s been a joy to go back. I’ve fallen back in love with the whole story and the world, especially with Professor Tolkien’s mind and the way he thinks, which I’ve discovered all over again.”

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Boyens, along with Walsh and Jackson, are also producing the upcoming The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, which is being directed by Gollum actor Andy Serkis. Boyens called the project “incredibly exciting.” Of Tolkien himself, Boyens added, “He didn’t just write books. He wrote an entire mythos. So his work can hold a lot. This is just another contribution to that world he created.” Regarding adapting the franchise for the big screen, she continued, “In the end, it’s up to the audience — as long as people want to engage with that world, there’s going to be dramatic works put out there.”

The upcoming The War of the Rohirrim movie is directed by Kenji Kamiyama, who said in a previous interview that he was a huge fan of The Lord of the Rings. “When I got an offer to make an animated version of The Lord of The Rings because I was such a huge fan of the trilogy, the first thing that came to mind was, ‘How can I possibly recreate Tolkien’s world?'” Kamiyama said. “There’s an unconscious sense of amazement when the general audience sees hand-drawn animation. The amazement that this is the work of a human hand.” The director has also worked on previous major anime productions like Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Eden of the East, Star Wars: Visions and Blade Runner: Black Lotus.

The War of the Rohirrim will be the first feature movie anime adaptation of The Lord of the Rings. The film’s official description reads: “Set 183 years before the events chronicled in the original trilogy of films, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim tells the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan. A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg— a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm’s Deep. Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Héra, the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead the resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their total destruction.”

Shawn Dooley, who voices Lord Freca in the movie, said previously that “fans are in for a big injection of Lord of the Rings with The War of the Rohirrim.” The movie premieres in theaters on Dec. 13, 2024.