A new Lord of the Rings film is on the way, set in the same universe as Peter Jackson’s original trilogy of films. This is not a drill. This is a theatrical release folks.

Warner Bros. released the first trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim last night, and I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that this looks incredible.

It’s set roughly 180 years before the events of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring but after the events of The Hobbit, and will focus on the character of Helm Hammerhand.

Helm Hammerhand was directly mentioned in Return of the King book and serves as the namesake for Helm’s Deep, so it does seem like the creative team behind the film are attempting to make it as lore-friendly as possible.

Director Kenji Kamiyama is a legendary figure in the world of anime and his portfolio of work speaks for itself. He’s the director behind incredible projects such as Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Blade Runner: Black Lotus and 009 Re:Cyborg.

This is the second time the director has worked with Warner Bros. on one of their properties, after his work adapting Blade Runner 2049’s animated series Blade Runner: Black Lotus.

A couple of actors from Peter Jackson’s original trilogy are returning for the new film too, including Miranda Otto who is set to return as Éowyn (although seemingly only as the film’s narrator).

Dominic Monaghan is also set to return, but as of yet it’s not been confirmed whether or not the actor will be reprising his role as Merry Brandybuck the Hobbit.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is officially set to release on the 13th of December this year, with no word on which streaming service the film will end up on after it finishes its theatrical run.

Although Amazon has been producing the Lord of the Rings TV shows, it’s possible that this one will end up on Warner Bros. Discovery service instead.