While we have a newLord of the Ringsmovie, led byAndy Serkisand his beloved Gollum in 2026, to look forward to, in the more immediate future we’re returning to another part of the history of Middle-earth in the form ofThe Lord of the Rings:The War of the Rohirrim. The animated film occurs over 180 years beforePeter Jackson’s original trilogy of fantasy epics,telling the story of the legendary King Helm Hammerhand(Brian Cox) of Rohan and his house after a brutal battle with an army of Dunlendings.This weekend at NYCC, fans were treated to an exclusive sneak peek at the movie, and while the footage isn’t available online, luckily Collider’sTherese Lacsonwas on site to report back. You can read her description on what to expect from the movie below:
The exclusive clip opens with an image of Helm’s Deep during the winter. We see guards standing at an encampment when Helm Hammerhand attacks the camp. Hèra, Helm’s daughter, wakes up to hear that her father is missing. There are rumors and legends going around, whispers that Helm isn’t a human anymore, he’s a man who can’t be destroyed. A terror born of madness and grief. We then see Wulf return to a completely decimated camp.
At a castle, Hèra overhears that people believe Helm is a wraith or a monster. When the servant who says this checks the room she is in, Hèra accidentally activates a trap door against a wall and gets locked behind it. Unable to get out, she follows the path behind the door down. As she descends, she thinks she sees her father. But, as she follows the sound out into the opening of a cave, she sees orcs instead. One of them has their hand on a ring and they are discussing the dark lord.
When the orcs pick up her scent, she tries to hide and inadvertedly comes upon a huge minotaur-like beast in the snow. Cornered, Hèra is saved when suddenly her father comes out of nowhere and attacks the beast. Running to the gates of what looks to be Helm’s Deep, the gate is stuck. It can’t be opened to let them both in, so using as much force as he can, the two of them pry open the door wide enough so she can slip through. Helm pushes his daughter in but stays behind, fighting the forces who come to attack him.
Who Stars in ‘The War of the Rohirrim’?
In addition to Cox, the cast also includesLuke Pasqualino(Skins),Shaun Dooley(Elden Ring),Gaia Wise,Lorraine Ashbourne(Bridgerton),Michael Wildman(Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw),Bilal Hasna(Sparks),Jude Akuwudike(Beasts of No Nation),Yazdan Qafouri(I Came By),Benjamin Wainwright(World on Fire),Laurence Ubong Williams(Gateway), andJanine Duvitski(Grown-ups). Additionally,Miranda Ottowill reprise her role as Eowynfrom Peter Jackson’s original trilogy, a descendant of Helm who will serve as the narrator for the whole film.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrimhits theaters on December 13. Stay tuned here at Collider for more coverage from New York Comic Con throughout the rest of the weekend.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
The untold story behind Helm’s Deep, hundreds of years before the fateful war, telling the life and bloodsoaked times of its founder, Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan.
