Once again our friend Eirik Bull shares with us their exclusive interview, this time Eirik sat down to chat with Sir Richard Taylor of Weta Workshop. We think you will enjoy the journey they take, as they cover the early years of Weta, the making of the The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Gollum, and much much more.
Today in Annecy attending press were treated to glimpses of the upcoming film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. TORn didn’t have anyone present there, but the good folks at Warner Bros. were kind enough to share with us some of the first movie images being revealed; and we had a chance to sit down again, before Annecy, with producer Philippa Boyens, to chat some more about this hotly anticipated movie – and other returns to Middle-earth, coming in the future.
Feast your eyes on the images! And enjoy the conversation between Boyens and staffer greendragon.
GD: Hi Philippa, thanks for taking this time – and it’s very, very exciting to see some images. We all just can’t wait to see it and are excited for what’s going to be revealed at Annecy – and these three images that we have to look at. So, I have a million questions but can we plunge straight into the images?
PB: Absolutely.
HÉRA voiced by GAIA WISE in New Line Cinema’s and Warner Bros. Animation’s epic anime adventure “THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
GD: Great. I’m looking at the first one that was sent to me, which presumably is Hera, our heroine. And the first thing I have to ask you – and I don’t know if you’re going to be able to answer this question: is that Herugrim that we see in her hand there? Is that the 500-year-old heirloom of Rohan that ends up with Theoden?
PB: Well, given some of the concept artists that were involved in this film, I would say that’s probably a pretty good guess. You know the attention to detail that those guys go into. So people like Daniel Falconer and, of course, John Howe, Alan Lee, you know. And then the brilliant Japanese concept artists, not just animators but concept artists as well, have worked on this. We’ve just been spoiled, honestly, absolutely spoiled.
GD: I can well imagine! Talk to me a little bit about this character Hera, because I’ve been fascinated by some of the things I’ve read that you’ve said in other interviews, about her being inspired somewhat by the Lady of the Mercians, Aethelflaed. And your talk of that reminded me also of Matilda, the daughter of Henry I, who was known as Lady of the English. So we’ve got these early medieval women who did not end up ruling, but who kept the country together in these powerful, strong ways. And clearly in this image, Hera is being very fierce. It looks like her sword is touching someone’s shoulder that we’re just seeing in the edge of the picture. Tell me a little bit about this strong female character that I’m very excited to see.
PB: Yes, she is a strong female character; but what I really love about her, she’s a very real female character – which I think is a strength of what Professor Tolkien did with the Rohirrim, and we’ve drawn on that. Eowyn was drawn so beautifully. I mean, you know, of course, with Galadriel and Arwen, you’re dealing with immortals, you’re dealing with the quality of, I was going to say the fae, but I won’t say that, but that otherworldly quality that is inherent in the elves. With Eowyn, I always felt that she was drawn in a very real way. And so we’ve kind of tried to continue in that tradition.
She’s not named in the books and we do point that out – I won’t tell you how! – but I do think it’s interesting that often women remain unnamed. There’s an unnamed daughter in Beowulf, for example. That was immediately intriguing; but what i do say is i don’t feel in any way that Professor Tolkien was slighting that character in not naming her. I think he hadn’t gotten around to telling that part of the story; and i do believe that if he had told that part of the story, given that he was a Mercian of sorts himself, how could he not perhaps have drawn on alfred the great’s daughter? And so she felt authentic. Although, having said that, I know he also said that the Rohirrim were not pure Anglo-Saxon derivatives, you know, there’s a lot of other facets to them – including his own imagination that he drew upon.
But I’m so glad you mentioned Matilda, because I think in the same vein, you’re absolutely right, that somehow they had the facility to hold their people together without necessarily having the title of ruler. They were leaders because they showed leadership and courage when it was needed. It’s resilience, you know, often time and time again, they show something special and save their people. , I think that that was one of the things that drew us to her.
And we wanted to make sure that she was as authentically human as she could be. So she’s not without doubts. She’s not without fears. She is constrained by the strictures of the society in which she’s been brought up. She’s beloved by her father – we know that from the very beginning of the storytelling. This is what we’ve come up with, you know; because we have known brothers. We have Haleth and Hama. And we can imagine who they are. And so when it came to Hera, we thought it would be interesting that just as Théoden had that relationship with Éowyn, that kind of the interesting thing following that thread through with Helm. First he loses Haleth, he loses Hama, he loses all his sons.
And although Hera is, you know, growing up – we killed off the mother, by the way, because she’s not named either. So we imagined her growing up, raised by a warrior king, alongside two brothers who, you know, there would be a genuinely tomboyishness to her nature, that she was allowed to have a bit of a free reign when she was younger. But when it comes down to it, especially now that she’s getting older, she comes face to face with the fact that, you know what, there are strictures in this society and there are roles for women in this society that her father still expects her to fulfill.
So, sure, he let her have a bit of a free reign and she was a bit of a wild child growing up,but never once did Helm think she would do anything other than that. and fulfill her duties and so it’s really interesting that that is part of his journey of his character to sort of suddenly discover that his daughter is stronger than he knew, which is really interesting. I love the relationship between those two characters that we’ve managed to find in there.
(L-r) HÉRA Voiced by GAIA WISE, HELM HAMMERHAND voiced by BRIAN COX, HALETH Voiced by BENJAMIN WAINWRIGHT and HAMA voiced by YAZDAN QAFOURI in New Line Cinema’s and Warner Bros. Animation’s epic anime adventure “THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
GD: And great actors voicing those two characters. [Brian Cox and Gaia Wise]
PB: Oh, my God, wonderful. Honestly, I don’t think anyone else genuinely could have played Hera, but Gaia Wise, she was perfect. She has all of the elements that you want. She’s got so much life in her, and she has that tomboyishness to her, but she also has a kind of, she’s full of curiosity. She’s very intelligent. She’s got a great sense of humor, and so she’s quick, and she’s got a ready laugh, and I can imagine a little bit of wildness about her, but she’s got a heart. You know, that was the thing that got her – she’s got a huge heart.
She fell off her bike. (I hope she doesn’t mind me telling you this!) She got, because she was biking to the ADR session to do some recording, and she actually came off. She got knocked off her bike. She had a big graze on her leg, and I was appalled. I was like, oh, my God, we’ve got to do something. It was absolutely determined to just keep going because I think she was focused. Of course. She was in the zone. She felt, no, look, it’s going to be fine. I’m not, you know, nothing’s broken. And she just got straight into it, and I was just looking at her thinking. Oh my God, you are Hera. The warrior.
GD: I’m looking at the third image we saw, of Wulf outside. He certainly looks like a Dunlending, with the dark hair. I’m looking at that sort of darkness. And you were just saying before about how the Rohirrim are people, they are humans and they have a reality to them and a human quality that, of course, we don’t get in the immortals, the Maiar, the Elves. This is a tale of men.
WULF voiced by LUKE PASQUALINO New Line Cinema’s and Warner Bros. Animation’s epic anime adventure “THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures
PB: What’s fascinating is the choices that Wulf makes. There is a moment, I think, where he could have, you know, conquering Edoras, if he’d settled down and become a good and wise ruling king, none of this history would have been spoken of. You know, it would have been a challenge by one lord to a lord whose time had potentially passed.
And, given the culture, (which, again, we set up very early on), this is a people who, although he is a king, they are subservient to Gondor, that in itself creates certain levels of tensions; and that although he is a king, he rules by consent, not by right. And so Wulf, if he’d made the right choices, it would have been a different story.
He doesn’t. He makes other choices, and they’re very interesting choices – and where those choices come from is really fascinating. He’s one of my favourite characters ever that we’ve ever created. He and Hera are so strong. They’re wonderful.
And, of course, Brian Cox is just brilliant as Helm. I have to say, no surprise! Unsurprisingly brilliant, which is fantastic for us and for the fans. I think they’re just going to love him.
GD: So with Annecy coming up – which is very exciting… Of course, we’re all reeling with excitement of the news of the ‘Hunt for Gollum’ movie. And I see that Andy Serkis is going to be there to host a panel with you, at Annecy. I noticed looking back on last year’s Annecy that in an interview there, you said that this movie and this story, this animated film, would be ‘a good way back into’ the world of Middle-earth. Did you have an inkling then that this (The War of the Rohirrim) was, to quote Gandalf, the falling of small stones that would start an avalanche? Did you think there was going to be more coming?
PB: Yes, I did. I did. I myself personally felt up for it. It was one of those things where you go back to something that, I mean, you know, you can lose yourself sometimes in making a film. And you kind of lose, you know, I’ve always found that the books were my comfort read. They were the thing that I always had that I could fall into. And in a way, doing the films destroyed that to a certain level.
What was interesting is going back into this and going back into a part of the story that was so fresh to me. And I think it’s going to be fresh to the audience and yet familiar, which is also brilliant. It re-energized me. I don’t know what it was, but it made me think, you know what – I do love telling stories within this world. It feels like a natural fit.
And I love the passion of the fans. I genuinely mean that, absolutely. You can tell all the members of the Torn community of TheOneRing that they’re always sitting on my shoulder.
GD: But in a good way!
PB: In the best possible way. Because, you know, you’ve got to have such respect for the passion that’s involved there. And I think it’s entirely appropriate and we should be held to a really high standard. And I think Kenji Kamiyama has not only met that standard, he’s smashed it. He had the bar and then he smashed his way through it and set it somewhere even higher. So it’s fantastic. Can’t wait for you guys to see it.
GD: We can’t wait to see it. It’s so exciting. You know, this year, TheOneRing.net is 25 years old. It’s our silver anniversary! Who would have thought we would be not only still going, but here having the chance to talk to you about new projects. It’s the gift that keeps on giving! Our staffer Demosthenes [who chatted with PB before] asked me to just casually ask you, are we going to see Saruman?
PB: [laughs] I can neither confirm nor deny that! I really can’t. I think he’s, I have to tell you, he’s very acute and perceptive – and some of the things that he was supposing were very much on the money in terms of when he saw the mumaks and things like that. And I thought that was really interesting. But that one I’m not giving him. Tell him I’m sorry!
GD: I’ll tell him! Well, it’s so great to talk, Philippa. Have a great time in Annecy, and I hope we can connect again; and we just can’t wait for everything that’s coming up. Thank you so much.
PB: I’m always happy to talk to you guys, absolutely.
Huge thanks to Philippa Boyens, and to Warner Bros. for affording us this exclusive interview. A closer look at these first images is coming soon!
The Annecy Film Festival “second look” at The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim has just concluded and reactions are starting to trickle out.
It sounds like a lot of people were quite impressed. Variety described the footage as “epic” and stated that the showing received “thunderous applause”.
Screendaily probably has the most comprehensive report so far and has the news from Philippa Boyens that Fran Walsh and Peter Jackson are on board as executive producers.
“They’ve been huge supporters of this film from the very beginning; they’ve stayed in the background a little, but I’m proud to reveal that they’ve been with us all along and are in fact our executive producers.
“They wanted to stay in the background because Peter in particular wanted to give Kenji the space to find his own way into the film,” added Boyens, who produces The War Of The Rohirrim with Joseph Chou.
Warner Bros/New Line screened 20 minutes of the film to the Annecy audience. It was followed by a panel hosted by Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in Jackson’s Rings trilogy, with Boyens, Kamiyama, Chou and executive producer Jason DeMarco present.
“We did not want to make an animated version of a Peter Jackson film,” said DeMarco. “We wanted to make a Kenji Kamiyama animated feature film that lives within that world. That’s a difficult task that requires a lot of delicate balancing between two types of filmmaking that haven’t collided like this before.”
Here’s a quick selection of instant reactions and good ol’ hot takes.
A super exciting event and incredible audience reaction. Six months to go! #waroftherohirrim @stephengallaghermusic
Had the pleasure of seeing a sneak peak of The Lords of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. Honestly it’s absolutely stunning and I can’t wait for it to be released in cinemas. #JosephatAnnecy #AnnecyFestival #LOTR #Anime
Prime Video released the first trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power second season. And TORn staff have thoughts! Take a look at the trailer, and read our reactions below…
greendragon says:
0.08 – is Durin talking about Sauron, or could he be referencing the Balrog?
0.11 and 0.26 – seems Sauron can take on all kinds of forms; worms, butterflies, even a very pretty Elf…
0.20 – do Elves ever draw a weapon without a flourish?!
0.38 – Celebrimbor and Sauron – the two great forgers of rings, going toe to toe?
0.46 – cool to see Sauron in his Annatar form
0.54 – is this the sea monster we encountered in S1? Who is in the water?
0.58 – what is causing destruction in Khazad-dum? Surely it’s not the Balrog already?
0.59 – Yay Elendil! One of my favourite characters from S1. Lloyd Owen does a fantastic job.
1.07 – dwarven rings! So are these the rings we will see forged in S2, having seen the Elven rings in S1?
1.12 – the eagles are coming! Also, Trystan Gravelle (Pharazon) is SO good.
1.16 – pretty good job for Adar continuity, given that it’s no longer Joseph Mawle in the role, but is now Sam Hazeldine. And what is he flanked by here? The creature on his right looks very skeletal; a Barrow-wight, perchance…?
Overall – lots to think about, and it’s pretty compelling. I’m excited for August 29th!!
Look closely, there are Numenoreans halfway down that cliff
Garfeimao says:
The final scene from Season 1 of Sauron arriving in Mordor opens the trailer, showing that not a moment has passed between the two seasons.
Durn IV is first narrator, speaking of the return of an Ancient Evil
The Black Mass that is moving on the ground looks like a pile of deadly worms or vipers and emanates evil
Whose hands have blood on the palms, is this one of the Mystics using blood magic?
Tree roots reaching for someone (Celebrimbor maybe) in the dark before we see a bunch of orcs marching through the woods with torches
A portal opens in Celebrimbor’s chambers, is someone walking through?
Galadriel’s narration says “he’s been among us all along”
Sauron as an Elf in a black-feathered outfit walking calmly as other elves are running
A black-haired woman in the water and a sea monster, could she be a version of Sauron, a human sacrifice, or a nightmare?
A cataclysm in Khazad-dum with parts of the stone ceiling crashing on one of the bridges in the city.
Elendil struggles through a mob of people
Gil-Galad, Galadriel and Cirdan
The Three Elven rings on the hands of Gil-Galad, Galadriel and is the third Cirdan?
Durin III with a Ring (oh crap)
Arondir, doing the awesome Elf acrobats, shows up to help Isildur
A Giant Eagle lands behind Pharazon, who then unsheaths his sword, this doesn’t bode well
Theo is crying, gotta wonder what has happened to make that happen
A cascade of fire bombs heading toward a city (Eregion?)
The Stranger is standing by a well in the middle of the desert and pounds his staff on the ground for power and a windstorm
Someone is holding onto a rope trying not to fly away in strong winds full of dust (are these two scenes connected or just red herring editing?)
A bloodied elf dropping a handful of rings into a fire, is it Celebrimbor injured? Is it a version of Sauron? Is it just a random elf? Are they trying to destroy those rings, or will they land next to the fire and not in the fire?
WeeTanya says:
My initial reaction:
Thematically, it’s picking up exactly where it left off. Sauron is overlooking his realm. The Harfeet are still a-wandering, the mystical cults from the East are still mystically culting, and a lot of this feels the same. But there’s also a time shift — Durin recognizes that the Balrogs have awakened, and Galadriel and Action Elrond are in a sickly green forest fighting some unseen foe, Numenor seems to be on the way to falling, and the rings are very definitely being forged. I wonder if this backtracks a bit into season 1 to pick up some of Celebrimbor’s story with Halbarad — we hear Celebrimbor saying, “He worms his way inside your mind, and the rest of him slithers in.”
But then there’s blond, long-haired Sauron who has been “there all along” with…Celebrimbor? Creating the rings? I mean, canonically he does this, and Galadriel is suddenly confused by it — does this mean Sauron has been playing several roles throughout Season 1, but we just never saw him in his fair Elven form? Also, at one point Elf-Sauron flexes his arms and something goes “boom” — does he reveal that he’s been turning Ost-in-Edhil into his own evil fortress all along, or does darkness descend all at once?
I think we see the start of the fall of Moria, which is confusing — shouldn’t this be much later in the 3rd age? Will the dwarves begin to disperse, will we see their exodus? Anyway the dwarven king accepts his dwarven ring. Will TROP go with the thread that this ring poisons the dwarves and makes them blind to the evil in the depths of Moria, and a lot of them stay? I am very curious about this plotline.
Numenor is Numenoring! Why does Ar-Pharazon have a pet eagle? Shouldn’t he want absolutely nothing to do with eagles, as emissaries of the Valar?
Elessar says:
I love that we’re seeing from the jump in this trailer that Sauron’s power is being built in a way that really will emphasize his threat. Hopefully that’s not a trick of the trailer. I also love that we’re going to see Annatar as well and that it’s the same actor from last season. Does Celebrimbor survive season 2?
I’m also excited to see more of what the some love show to the Númenóreans in this. I cannot wait to see all that goes with these folks. Working towards the formation of Gondor is something I’m very much looking forward to. I’m also excited see more of the Dwarves. Was that the fall of Moria? Am I getting more Balrog? (Please 🙂 )
All in all I’m looking forward to things.
Kili and Bard say:
My sister was out of town so I filmed a reaction video with my boyfriend Rónán!
And you can see the full trailer breakdown on TORn Tuesday from last night for more analysis!
Edited to add reaction to the Behind-the-Scenes video
Garfeimao – Season 2 BTS video:
Morffyd says that Galadriel feels more connected to the peoples of Middle-earth and that it will drive her even more
Gil-Galad looking very somber
Sauron is out in the open, making everything happen
The new Adar is less deathly looking, but then, that might just be the fact it was BTS cameras and not FX treated film showing him.
Durin IV is adrift, his relationship with his dad is gone and his pride has taken a hit
Ismael says that Arondir has taken a blow to his spirit (there is a funeral pyre, could Bronwyn be dead?) Is that why Theo is crying in the trailer?
Miriel marches down the stairs in an elaborate gown, has her sight returned, or is she just that good at faking it?
Emma states that, at least in Numenor, the chess board has been set and the pieces are moving
Ben states that the Gloves have come off in season 2, as far as the Elves are concerned
Gil-Galad orders a watch at every crossing, he must not escape (the search for Sauron is on)
I was wondering who the old, grey-haired elf was, but I can now see the chest armor and it’s Adar, but it looks like this might be a flashback scene because his hair is so different.
The Stranger appears briefly and Markella says it’s great to be back, both continuing their journey
Celebrimbor tells Galadriel that he’s had an unexpected visitor? It appears to be an elf coming through the open portal
Gotta love the comedy duo of Durins III and IV
John Howe is excited by the prospect of new places and territories in Middle-earth to explore
Elendil and other Numenoreans down by the rocky shore, what is everyone looking at?
Maxim talking about how the set is almost too scary to go into, tunnels filled with spider webs and orcs caught in those webs. Is this Shelob’s Lair? It is one way out of Mordor. . .
Incredible set design shown, and Bear McCreary talking to the singers about how when they are on this set and in costume, they are going to discover more things to do
And then we see Disa and her trio singing to the stones.
Robert talks about doing new things that plunge you into the story, as we see him and other Elves in full armor in a battle.
We see Celebrimbor and Durin IV together in what looks like a part of Khazad-dum (I want Narvi)
Maxim says it’s been a long wait, some bad things have happened and some good things have happened, but we are Back in Middle-earth.
Footage of the highly anticipation LOTR anime film debuts at Annecy, for a second year in a row. Special guests include Andy Serkis, Philippa Boyens, Kenji Kamiyama, Joseph Chou and Jason DeMarco.
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim preview will take place 12 June 2024 at 4pm local time. Link to the event page. But first: a new logo treatment for the movie!
Executive Producer from WB Feature Animation, Jason DeMarco, says it’s more than a trailer – a “nice big chunk of the movie.”
If you’re at Annecy this year, come see our War of the Rohirrim panel! Mr ANDY SERKIS will hold a convo between Kenji Kamiyama and Philippa Boyens (and myself), and we will be showing a nice big chunk of the film. CANNOT WAIT! See you there. https://t.co/UFbL6IZATj
— NUNEKIN KAMUI DEMARCO (@Clarknova1) May 13, 2024
Warner Bros. Feature Animation sends word of their plans for the big French animation industry event.
WARNER BROS. ANIMATION, CARTOON NETWORK STUDIOS, HANNA-BARBERA STUDIOS EUROPE ANNOUNCE PROGRAMMING SLATE FOR ANNECY INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL
Andy Serkis to Host Filmmaker Conversation and Extended First Lookof the Highly Anticipated New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Animation’s
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim
Inside Look at the Upcoming DC Studios/Max Original Animated SeriesCreature Commandos
World-Premiere Screening of The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, First Look at The Amazing World of Gumball, Sneak Peeks, and More!
Warner Bros. Animation (WBA), Cartoon Network Studios (CNS), and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe (HBSE) will return to the Annecy International Animation Film Festival with a showstopping slate of animated content showcasing the studio’s rich history, diverse styles, and world-class artistry.
Programming highlights include first looks at the highly anticipated New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Animation’s original anime feature The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, the upcoming DC Studios/Max Original Creature Commandos, The Amazing World of Gumball, and the World Premiere of The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie.
Full Annecy programming slate
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim – Filmmaker Conversation and Exclusive Extended Look with Special Guest Andy Serkis
Oscar winner Philippa Boyens (The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies), award-winning filmmaker Kenji Kamiyama (the Blade Runner: Black Lotus and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex TV series) and producer Joseph Chou (Blade Runner: Black Lotus TV series) return to Annecy to unveil the first footage from the highly anticipated original anime feature, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. In a special appearance, Andy Serkis (The Lord of the Rings trilogies) will join filmmakers as they reflect on their creative journey in translating the cinematic wonder of Middle-earth through the visually sweeping lens and artistry of anime.
From New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Animation, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim explores and expands the untold story behind the fortress of Helm’s Deep, delving into the life and bloodsoaked times of one of Middle-earth’s most legendary figures; the mighty King of Rohan – Helm Hammerhand.
Animation work is currently underway at Sola Entertainment. The film will be distributed theatrically worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures on December 13, 2024.
Creature Commandos – Making of Session
From Executive Producer and writer James Gunn, Creature Commandos is the upcoming Max Original animated event series, based on DC characters and produced by DC Studios and Warner Bros. Animation which follows Amanda Waller as she forms a black ops team out of monstrous prisoners. Prepare for an in-depth look from Rick Morales (supervising producer) and Balak Yves (supervising director) into the artistry and creative processes behind this highly anticipated series kicking off a new era of storytelling in the DC Universe.
The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie – World Premiere Screening
That’s not all folks! Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, one of the greatest comedic duos in history, are making their hilarious return to the big screen in the sci-fi comedy adventure, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie.
From Warner Bros. Animation, director Pete Browngardt, and the creative team behind the award-winning Looney Tunes Cartoons, The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Moviestars Porky Pig and Daffy Duck as unlikely heroes and Earth’s only hope when facing the threat of alien invasion. The movie unfolds a rich Porky & Daffy story that fans have never seen before: In this buddy-comedy of epic proportions, our heroes race to save the world, delivering all the laugh-out-loud gags and vibrant visuals that have made the Looney Tunes so iconic, but on a scope and scale yet to be experienced.
The Amazing World of Gumball – Making of Session
More Gumball! The comedic misadventures of Gumball, Darwin and the quirky residents of Elmore continue in The Amazing World of Gumball (wt). Join Ben Bocquelet (Executive Producer), Matthew Layzell (Executive Producer), Emma Fernando (Series Producer), Xav Clarke (Composer), Sarah Fell (SVP, Series, Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe) for an inside look at the long-awaited return of these beloved characters.
Spotlight on Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe – Studio Focus
Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe showcase their high-profile slate of current and upcoming film and series projects. Learn how these three storied studios aim to be the broadest purveyor of animation in the world, producing content that touches every audience group and every platform. Grab industry insights, exciting news, and exclusive first looks from the always original Cartoon Network Studios, the iconic characters of Warner Bros. Animation, and the whimsical world of Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe.
Adult Animation at Warner Bros. Discovery – Studio Focus
Adult Swim, Max, and Warner Bros. Animation spotlights their strategy and efforts in the booming adult animation space. Michael Ouweleen (President, Adult Swim), Suzanna Makkos (Head of Adult Animation, Adult Swim), and Peter Girardi (Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, Warner Bros. Animation) preview current and upcoming projects and share their team’s strategies to ensure Warner Bros. Discovery remains the destination for adult animation.
100 Years of Shorts – Annecy Classics Screening
A curated program celebrating the proud legacy of short form at Warner Bros. Animation, Hanna-Barbera, and Cartoon Network Studios featuring animated shorts from Friz Freleng, Tex Avery, William Hanna & Joseph Barbera, Chuck Jones, Genndy Tartakovsky, and more!
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About Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) is one of the leading producers of animation in the entertainment industry, producing and developing projects for multiple platforms, both domestically and internationally. WBA’s current series include Batman: Caped Crusader, Bat-Family, Batwheels, Bugs Bunny Builders, Creature Commandos, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Harley Quinn, Jellystone!, Kite-Man: Hell Yeah!, Looney Tunes Cartoons, Merry Little Batman, My Adventures with Superman, Teen Titans Go!, Tiny Toons Looniversity, and Velma. The studio is currently in production on two feature films – The Day The Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie and the upcoming original anime feature film The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, with New Line Cinema. WBA’s full-length theatrical film Teen Titans GO! to the Movies was released in summer 2018. As home to the iconic animated characters from the DC, Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes libraries, WBA also produces highly successful animated films — including the DC Universe Movies — for DVD, Blu-ray® and digital media. One of the most-honored animation studios in history, WBA has won six Academy Awards®, 40 Emmy® Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, a BAFTA Children’s Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents’ Choice Award, the HUMANITAS Prize, two Prism Awards and 21 Annie Awards (honoring excellence in animation).
About Cartoon Network Studios
Established in 2000, Cartoon Network Studios (CNS) is a global animation and interactive studio recognized for its innovative approaches to IP development and world-building. Fostering a creator-driven environment, CNS is home to hundreds of visual artists who have been a part of the studio’s many critically acclaimed and groundbreaking animated series, including Adventure Time, Craig of the Creek, Steven Universe, Regular Show, The Powerpuff Girls, and We Bare Bears. CNS has also produced notable Adult Swim hits such as Genndy Tartakovky’s Primal, Samurai Jack, and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law. CNS has been honored with multiple awards and accolades, including Emmy®, Peabody, GLAAD and Annie Awards. Internationally, the studio also garnered the BAFTA Children’s Award, Italy’s prestigious Pulcinella Award and Annecy Festival’s Cristal Award.
About Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe
Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe is Warner Bros. Discovery’s flagship animation studio within EMEA. Based in London, the studio is home to quality local productions distributed worldwide, including The Amazing World of Gumball, The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe, and Elliott from Earth. Its content has been honored with BAFTA, Emmy, Emile, Annie, Prix Jeunesse, Rockie and Annecy awards
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BREAKING NEWS: it seems that Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Andy Serkis are all going there and back again, as Warner Bros. today issued an astonishing press release:
WARNER BROS. PICTURES AND NEW LINE CINEMA ARE SET TO REUNITE WITH THE OSCAR WINNING LORD OF THE RINGS AND THE HOBBIT TEAM PETER JACKSON, FRAN WALSH, AND PHILIPPA BOYENS FOR TWO NEW FEATURE FILMS FROM J. R. R. TOLKIEN’S MIDDLE EARTH, TWO-DECADES AFTER THE NEARLY $6 BILLION DOLLAR FILM FRANCHISE WAS FIRST INTRODUCED TO AUDIENCES
THE FIRST FILM LORD OF THE RINGS: THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM (*WT) WILL BE DIRECTED BY AND STAR LORD OF THE RINGS ALUMNI ANDY SERKIS
JACKSON, WALSH, AND BOYENS WILL PRODUCE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE HUNT FOR GOLLUM (*WT), WITH WALSH AND BOYENS SET TO WRITE THE SCREENPLAY
Burbank, CA — May 9, 2024 – Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group’s Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy announced today the Oscar-winning team behind the nearly $6 billion blockbuster Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyensare reuniting to produce two new films from Tolkien’s Middle Earth for Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema.
The first of the two films Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum(*WT)will be directed by and star Andy Serkis (Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle), with Walsh and Boyens set to write the screenplay, along with Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou (Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim). The film will be executive produced by Ken Kamins, with Serkis and The Imaginarium’s Jonathan Cavendish.
Said De Luca and Abdy, “For over two-decades, moviegoers have embraced the Lord of the Rings film trilogy because of the undeniable devotion Peter, Fran and Philippa have shown towards protecting the legacy of Tolkien’s works, and to ensure audiences could experience the incredible world he created in a way that honors his literary vision. We are honored they have agreed be our partners on these two new films. With Andy coming aboard to direct Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum(*WT), we continue an important commitment to excellence that is a true hallmark of how we all want to venture ahead and further contribute to the Lord of the Rings cinematic history.”
Said Jackson, Walsh and Boyens, “It is an honour and a privilege to travel back to Middle-earth with our good friend and collaborator, Andy Serkis, who has unfinished business with that Stinker – Gollum! As life long fans of Professor Tolkien’s vast mythology, we are proud to be working with Mike De Luca, Pam Abdy and the entire team at Warner Bros. on another epic adventure!”
Said Serkis, ““Yesssss, Precious. The time has come once more to venture into the unknown with my dear friends, the extraordinary and incomparable guardians of Middle Earth Peter, Fran and Philippa,” said Serkis. “With Mike and Pam, and the Warner Bros team on the quest as well, alongside WETA and our film making family in New Zealand, it’s just all too delicious…”.
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The announcement of the new films follows the previously announced New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Animation’s anime feature film Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim opening this Christmas. Directed by Award winning filmmaker Kenji Kamiyama (Blade Runner: Black Lotus and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series), the film is produced by Boyens, Joseph Chou (Blade Runner: Black Lotus), and Jason DeMarco.
The writing team of Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou penned the Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim screenplay based on a script from Jeffrey Addiss & Will Matthews. The Lord of the Rings returning creative team also includes Oscar winners Alan Lee and Richard Taylor, along with esteemed Tolkien illustrator John Howe.
Once again our friend Eirik Bull shares with us their exclusive interview, this time Eirik sat down to chat with Sir Richard Taylor of Weta Workshop. We think you will enjoy the journey they take, as they cover the early years of Weta, the making of the The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Gollum, and much much more.
