Lord of the Rings animated prequel on the way from studio behind Peter Jackson's trilogy

The adventures of Middle Earth continue – a new Lord of the Rings prequel movie is on the way from New Line Cinema, the studio that produced Peter Jackson's trilogy.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim won't, however, be a live-action feature film, but an original anime from Kenji Kamiyama, an acclaimed director best known for his work on the Ghost in the Shell TV series. The new movie expands on the story behind the fortress of Helm’s Deep, last seen during the climactic battle of The Two Towers, and the life of the once-mighty King of Rohan, Helm Hammerhand.

While J.R.R. Tolkien never explicitly detailed the minute specifics when it came to Hammerhand's life, referring to him most prominently in the appendices of his novels, fear not: Philippa Boyens, who co-wrote the screenplays for the Lord of the Rings and is a renowned Tolkien enthusiast, will serve as a consultant.

New Line will be working with Warner Bros. Animation on the film, with the studio confirming that the new movie is being created as a companion piece to Jackson's trilogy, with "story and artistic elements woven throughout that will reconnect fans to the excitement and cinematic wonder of Middle-earth."

"The opportunity to dive back into Middle-earth with the team at Warner Bros. Animation is a dream come true," the teams at Warner Bros. and New Line said in a joint statement. "Fans know Helm's Deep as the stage for one of the greatest battles ever put to film and, with many of the same creative visionaries involved and the brilliant Kenji Kamiyama at the helm, we couldn't be more excited to deliver a fresh vision of its history that will invite global audiences to experience the rich, complex saga of Middle-earth in a thrilling new way."

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is being fast-tracked for development and will be released in cinemas around the world. Animation work is underway, with voice casting also ongoing. 

This is not the only Lord of the Rings project currently on the way. Amazon has a live-action Lord of the Rings TV show in development which will tell the story of Middle Earth during the Second Age, AKA a few thousand years before the events of the movies. Filming is ongoing in New Zealand.

In the meantime, be sure to check out the best movies on Amazon Prime at the moment. And if you're after a big screen to watch on, then get ready for the Prime Day TV deals.