The Lord of the Rings anime looks appropriately epic in first trailer

Middle-earth is looking a little different in The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. Warner Bros. Pictures just released the first trailer for the animated prequel, which is directed by Kenji Kamiyama (Blood: The Last Vampire, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex) and set 183 years before the original film trilogy. Peter Jackson is involved as an executive producer.

According to the official description, the new movie "tells the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan." Here's the full setup:

A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless Dunlending lord seeking vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg - a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm's Deep. Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Héra, the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead the resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their total destruction.

The War of the Rohirrim hits theaters in the US on December 13th, capping off a somewhat busy year for the franchise, with season 2 of The Rings of Power streaming at the end of August.