I Hope 1 Tolkien Character Has A Bigger Role In 2024’s Lord Of The Rings Movie Than It Seems

I am profoundly excited about The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, but wondering whether it will give enough importance to one of the key characters of the Tolkien story. The upcoming War of the Rohirrim movie will adapt a story from “Appendix A” of Tolkien’s masterwork, The Lord of the Rings. High fantasy trailblazer J.R.R. Tolkien spun many yarns in the novel’s appendices – Tolkien used them to create a rich mythology for Middle-earth, creating his distinctive mythopoeic writing style. There is one significant Rohirrim king from Tolkien’s mythology that I couldn’t identify in the trailer.

“The House of Eorl” in “Appendix A” lays out the key players in The War of the Rohirrim’s story, some of which appear in the trailer, and some of which may not. I love the trailer, it solidifies what Warner Bros. had been suggesting all along – Hèra will take center stage and, at some point, fight Wulf for control of Rohan. This juicy focus is less “House of Eorl” and more lovers-to-enemies a la Rings of Power, but I’ll be more than happy to sit back and enjoy the ride if the movie does right by Hèra’s cousin, who had a resounding impact on Rohan.

Fréaláf’s Absence In The War Of The Rohirrim Trailer Makes Me Worried For The 2024 Film

Fréaláf May Not Have A Huge Role

The mighty Helm Hammerhand had a sister called Hild, who had a son called Fréaláf, and I can’t tell if he features in the trailer or not. If he does, he doesn’t feature significantly. What is abundantly clear from the trailer is that Fréaláf won’t have a bigger role than Hèra, and may not have a big role at all. It is the age of the strong female protagonist and I think that’s great. But Fréaláf is one presence in the original story that I wouldn’t advise cutting. Luckily, Laurence Ubong Williams has already been cast.

With Fréaláf already cast – along with the other characters – the possibility of Fréaláf’s removal from the story is eradicated. So I’m not worried about that, and nor am I worried about Gaia Wise’s Hèra taking some of Fréaláf’s limelight. I love Gaia Wise, and I think her Hèra will complement the thematic focus of the kind of anime that Kenji Kamiyama makes. In the grand tradition of anime warriors like Princess Mononoke, Hèra can bring anime’s powerful princess tradition to Middle-earth. But there are certain parts of Fréaláf’s arc that should remain.

I Hope Fréaláf’s Role In The 2024 Lord Of The Rings Movie Is Bigger Than It Seems

Fréaláf Is An Important Character

Fréaláf could step up in The War of the Rohirrim and prove to be an interesting character at any point, which is my hope. Hèra can be seen in the trailer with other Rohirrim, who could be Fréaláf. I assume she is sitting with Helm and her two brothers in the throne room scene. As Hèra’s cousin and Helm’s nephew, Fréaláf has a few excellent moments in “The House of Eorl.” Some of these moments involve him fighting Wulf, and the trailer makes me wonder if some or all of these moments may be given to Hèra in the movie.

Hèra stepping up is reminiscent of Éowyn, and her doing some of the fighting that Fréaláf does in the book doesn’t need to break canon, it can slot in beside it. Besides, Tolkien’s story wasn’t heavy on dialogue, so that will need to be substantially invented for all characters, regardless. However, I would like Fréaláf to show a certain level of skill, intelligence, leadership, and strength in this movie, because he is the legendary ancestor of one of the best characters in The Lord of the Rings.

Why Including This J.R.R. Tolkien Character Is Crucial To The War Of The Rohirrim’s Success

Fréaláf Was Key To The Rohirrim’s Lineage

King Théoden of Rohan was descended from Fréaláf, so I’d love to see Fréaláf reflect Théoden’s bravery. Théoden was something of an antihero in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings movies, but in Tolkien’s novel, he went from antihero to straight-up hero. The Lord of the Rings did give Théoden a redemptive arc, but his more heroic lines were given to other characters to help focus the vast, sprawling scope of the source material. War of the Rohirrim now has a chance to honor one of literature’s truest knights in shining armor.

In portraying Fréaláf as a hero and an icon worthy of Rohan’s crown, and perhaps dropping subtle Théoden-related Easter eggs of some kind, War of the Rohirrim can make it known that Théoden is the stock of legends. Conversely, if Fréaláf gets downplayed too much, that could take some of the wind out of the sails of Théoden’s appearances in the original trilogy, or generally betray one of Tolkien’s points in this story. The point being that it is love that forges true power, not fire. Love and marriage united conflicting houses and races in Tolkien to create powerful lineages.

Aragorn and Thorin returned to their ancestral seats, fulfilling their destinies and following in their forefathers’ footsteps. Marriage and family drove destiny and the creation of heroes in Middle-earth. Likewise, Fréaláf was the hero that saved Meduseld, foreshadowing his descendant Théoden sacrificing everything for his realm. Fréaláf and Théoden are not just related, they bookmark the Second Line of the Kings of the Mark – Fréaláf started it and Théoden ended it. That’s why I want the Fréaláf of The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim to be worthy of Théoden.