WB's The War Of The Rohirrim Should Include A Specific Cameo From The LOTR Films
Warner Bros' upcoming anime-style film "The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim" will explore the history of the Men of Rohan through the eyes of the daughter of their famous king, Helm (the guy that Helm's Deep is named after). The film, which has been delayed to a very late 2024 release date, is a highly anticipated new foray into J.R.R. Tolkien's world of Middle-earth.
Early reports of the film are fairly positive. SlashFilm even went so far as to say that the tidbits shown during a closed-door sneak peek at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival felt like the project was "cut from the same cloth as the original 'Lord of the Rings' trilogy." One element that is doubtless feeding into that nostalgia is the return of Miranda Otto to narrate the film as Éowyn, whom she brought to life in Peter Jackson's adaptation twenty years ago. The concept of using an older Éowyn to tell a story about the history of her people is a perfect way to connect the new movie to the films that are so near and dear to millions of fans. In fact, the move is so smart, the creative minds behind the production should consider throwing another cameo into the mix — Meriadoc Brandybuck.
Merry, played by Dominic Monaghan in Peter Jackson's films, holds a special place in the history of Rohan. The Hobbit becomes Théoden's esquire in "The Lord of the Rings" and even sneaks a ride to the Battle of the Pelennor Fields along with Éowyn. He helps defeat the Witch-king and remains a faithful vassal of the king of Rohan after the War of the Ring. In fact, he even visits Rohan later in life.
Merry's late-life trip to Rohan
After "The Lord of the Rings," Merry becomes the Master of Buckland — that is, the head of the area of the Shire settled by his people and their connections. While he serves in this capacity for decades, he also remains closely connected to the distant realm of Rohan. The appendices of "The Return of the King" even explain that "great gifts are sent to him by King Éomer and the Lady Éowyn of Ithilien."
Along with receiving personal financing due to his past royal connections, Merry ends up paying a visit back south later in life, at the ripe old age of 102 years old. "The Return of the King" explains that at that point, "a message came from Rohan to Buckland that King Éomer wished to see Master Holdwine once again." ("Holdwine" is the title Merry is remembered by in Rohan. While the meaning of the name isn't exactly known, it's believed that it comes from Tolkien combining the Old English words "faithful" and "friend.") Merry and Pippin head south together, and the text adds, "It was heard after that Master Meriadoc came to Edoras and was with King Éomer before he died in that autumn."
Merry's late-life journey — with Pippin, no less — provides the perfect opportunity for "The War of the Rohirrim" to take advantage of not one but two cameos. Along with Otto, the anime should bring back a now-older Monaghan to play Merry on his last trip to Rohan. Heck, they could even recruit Billy Boyd to reprise his role as Pippin while they're at it. Weaving two more popular Middle-earth faces back into the cinematic mix is something the project shouldn't miss, especially considering the extra time the studio has to make it happen now that the film has been delayed.