More Middle-earth Anime Will Be Greenlit—Under One Condition

As anticipation mounts for the release of Middle-earth’s first venture into the world of anime with The War of the Rohirrim—coming to many theaters on the 13th of this month—questions begin to arise about the future of anime in The Lord of the Rings series. How will audiences react? Will critics view the marriage between anime and Tolkien’s world in a good light? And are there more anime films based on Middle-earth stories in the future for WB? Each of these questions beg an answer, and while it’s impossible to look into the future, one thing is certain: the success of The War of the Rohirrim will play a vital role in the marriage of anime and Middle-earth going forward.

Will The War of the Rohirrim Find an Audience?

According to Philippa Boyens in a recent interview, the team behind The War of the Rohirrim already has an idea for a second anime that might be even bigger than WOTR.

“We have an absolute banger of a second film that would just be incredible as an anime. But let’s see if there’s an appetite for it.”

The key word there is ‘appetite’. The future of anime as a Middle-earth medium hinges on the reception of The War of the Rohirrim. If it’s able to find an audience, either within the Lord of the Rings fandom itself, or within anime circles, or from general movie-goers who are just looking to have a good time, then there is a really good chance that we can see more films just like it in the future.

What would signal a success for Warner Bros., though, in terms of both box office returns and critical response? Well, this is a tricky question to answer, considering Warner Bros. has maintained radio silence on the film’s budget so far. We might get details on it in the future, but for now, it’s anybody’s guess. Currently, the film is tracking to make anywhere between $10M-$25M domestically in the States on its opening weekend, which might not sound great, but since we don’t know the budget, we can’t be certain if this is good or bad news for WB. On top of those numbers, though, we should also expect a hefty sum internationally, which could possibly push the film into success range if some other factors come into play.

One of those factors is the critical reception of the film. While ratings are out from fans who were able to see the movie early (at time of writing holds a 7.0/10 on IMDB and a 3.4/5 on Letterboxd), no film critic has been able to give their opinion on WOTR yet as the review embargo for sites like Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic isn’t over until December 9th. As we sit here today, though, I think if the film receives a critical response similar to The Rings of Power, then that might give it a leg up even if it doesn’t do too well commercially. The same could also be said if it is represented well during award season. However, given how stacked this year has been with successful animated films, even being nominated for awards such as Best Animated Picture at the Oscars might be the toughest task yet for War of the Rohirrim—no matter how good it may turn out.

What Could the Next Anime Be About?

Hypothetically, though, if the The War of the Rohirrim is eventually considered a success for Warner Bros., what future anime based in Middle-earth could we see greenlit? Well, there are some candidates. For many, seeing the War of Angmar told in film format has been a great interest for many within the LOTR community for some time now, and while that story may translate better to live-action, an anime adaptation wouldn’t be a terrible idea either.

Another possibility could be the Gondorian Kin-Strife, a story that is very similar to that of The War of the Rohirrim, as it is smaller in scale compared to what we’ve seen from Middle-earth productions so far and includes plenty of fighting, politics, and, at the center of it all, a conflict that is relatively fresh and unique for those only familiar with Middle-earth adaptations.

The final option that I would like to suggest is an anime adaptation of what was going on in the North during the events of the War of the Ring. I think the anime route better suits this story as it would be easier to animate the many returning characters that it would take to make this movie happen rather than re-casting or de-aging the actors who played the roles in previous adaptations. This story could include both the Battle of Dale and the Battle Under Trees which would see the involvement of major players like Thranduil, Dain, and potentially Dwalin, Gloin, and others formerly of Thorin’s Company.

In the end, we’ll just have to wait and see if The War of the Rohirrim turns out to be successful or not. I hope it will be as seeing more Middle-earth stories be given the visual treatment is always incredibly exciting to anticipate and look forward to.