Lord of the Rings Prequel Anime Movie Coming to Theaters

New Line and Warner Animation have announced a new prequel anime movie to The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies called "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim."  The film is still in its early stages of pre-production but Rings trilogy writer Philippa Boyens will be a consult on the project. No indication yet if Rings director Peter Jackson or other writer Fran Walsh will be involved.  The project will be directed by Kenji Kamiyama (Eden of the East, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex).

The story is set around 250 years before The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers to tell the story of Helm Hammerhand, the King of Rohan and namesake of Helm's Deep. Its not based on any book but rather the appendices and other information gleamed about the the character and battle site via the Appendices. No release date announced but best case is 1 year from now, more likely scenario is 2023.