The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim screenwriter Philippa Boyens on life behind the scenes

Oscar-winning screenwriter and producer Philippa Boyens is extending The Lord of the Rings film legacy with new animated movie The War of the Rohirrim. Photo / Getty Images

• Philippa Boyens co-wrote and produced the new animated film, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, marking her first solo project in the Tolkien world.
• The film features Héra, a princess battling for her people's survival, and is animated in Japanese style.
• Boyens calls for increased government funding for the New Zealand film industry, citing its potential economic benefits.

On a wintry Oxford morning last week, Philippa Boyens wrapped herself up all cosy and warm and set off on her own journey into Middle-earth.

“I went looking for the Barrow-downs,” she says, excitedly referencing the eerie ancient burial mounds where the hobbits nearly meet a terrifying end at the hands of a wight (supernatural being) in the early chapters of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

“I’d never done that before. I went off to the Rollright Stones and Stow-on-the-Wold and did a bit of a recce around. It was great!”

It’s charming to hear the Academy Award-winning screenwriter and producer fangirling out over visiting the historic real-world locations that inspired the legendary fantasy author JRR Tolkien.

You might think that after more than two decades working at the Tolkien coalface, her passion for the world of elves and men may have diminished. But you’d be wrong.

Oscar-winning New Zealand screenwriter Philippa Boyens whose new movie The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is released on December 12. Photo / Getty Images

If anything, her deep immersion into that world and the inextricable linking of her life to Tolkien’s work has only intensified her fandom for the books she read and re-read and re-read during her formative years.

It was her extensive knowledge of the subject that led Sir Peter Jackson to enlist the then-unknown writer and theatre script editor to co-write The Lord of the Rings films with him and his partner Fran Walsh in the late ‘90s.

Remarkably, these major cinematic events were her first screenwriting projects. It marked the beginning of a beautiful working relationship that has seen her collaborate with the pair on every one of his feature films ever since, including, of course, The Hobbit trilogy.

But now, like the hero of The Lord of the Rings, wee Frodo Baggins, the time has come for Boyens to leave the safety of the fellowship and continue her trek through Middle-earth alone. Hopefully, her path won’t lead her to Mt Doom.

Next Thursday, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim gallops into cinemas nationwide. Not only is this the first theatrical outing for the fantasy franchise since The Hobbit trilogy concluded with The Battle of the Five Armies 10 years ago, it’s also Boyens’ first time taking the LotR writing and producing reins without Sir Pete or Walsh.

“Well, I’ve learned enough over the years to know that the best thing you can do is to call on good people and not try to take it on all by yourself,” she replies when asked how she felt leading the project by herself. “And I felt fairly confident because it was a world that I was very familiar with.”

She pauses for a second then laughs, “I also knew enough to shut up and learn. And that’s exactly what I did. But I feel good. I’m less nervous than I have been before, I don’t know why. I think people are going to be surprised by the film actually, which is a nice feeling.”

(From left) Stephen Colbert, Philippa Boyens, Kenji Kamiyama, Joseph Chou, Jason DeMarco, Phoebe Gittins and Arty Papageorgiou speak at The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim panel at New York Comic Con in October. Photo / AFP

This is because, unlike her previous entries, The War of the Rohirrim (TWotR) is animated in the distinctive Japanese anime style. A bold artistic choice for the deeply Anglo-centric The Lord of the Rings.

It also stands apart from its predecessors by following Héra, a tomboy-ish princess who finds herself battling for the survival of her people after she declines a marriage proposal that is a thinly veiled threat to her father’s throne.

“It was exciting to go there. It seemed funny seeing some of the reactions when the trailer came out. There were some blokes who were a little bit nervous that we’d gone ‘woke’ on it,” she says, practically rolling her eyes.

“But one of the things I’ve learnt from Fran and Pete is not to buy into the negativity too much. Of course, you also can’t buy into the hype too much. You’ve got to stay true to yourself. Being close friends with them has taught me to try and keep it real.”

There is massive weight and expectations around a new LotR project. Not just from fans of Tolkien’s lofty books but also from fans of the previous movies. Despite this, Boyens says her journey back into Middle-earth has been “a nice gentle return, actually”, largely down to the fact that she’s “really familiar” with those pressures.

“I’ve learned and come to understand that the only thing you can do is make the very best film you can make. The only thing you can do is tell the very best story you can tell.

“To honour not only Professor Tolkien’s work but also the expectations of the fans,” she explains. “And the best way to do that is to tell the best story in the best way that you possibly can. And that’s what we’ve done here.”

Much of Aotearoa’s global identity since the noughties has rested on our reputation as being the stand-in for Middle-earth and the home of the LotR movies.

Economically we are still reaping the benefits as tourists flock in to go on their own Middle-earth journey in much the same way Boyens did in Oxford last week. In 2019, before the dark Covid times, 18% of visitors said they were here because of LotR.

But with this new film being a Japanese anime, it seems we’ve been shut out. Boyens is quick to put those fears to rest.

“Not at all, no. We called on some of the brilliant animators and incredible post-production teams that we have in New Zealand to help get it over the line because there was a lot of time crunch going on.”

She also says local composers, writers and 3D animators contributed to the film.

“We also called in some favours from old friends. We dragged Richard Taylor back in,” she chuckles, referring to the founder, creative director and head of Wētā Workshop who won multiple Oscars for his work on the LotR movies. “So yeah, a lot of Kiwis in there.”

Which is good to hear. Especially when she describes the current state of our film industry as “brutal”.

“I really honestly want to make a plea to the New Zealand Government to actually look at the arts funding, look at the amount of money that they’re not putting into an industry that could return so much on its investment.

“We know that because of what’s happened in the past. When they actually invest in the film industry, it returns that investment 10 times over. There’s so much talent in New Zealand, creatively. We are blessed. Honestly, truly blessed. But to blossom, it does require that investment.

“We need to bail up the minister and the Prime Minister and say, ‘Come on, put some money into funding the New Zealand Film Commission and some effort in telling New Zealand stories on screen’.”

Fearing she’s getting worked up, she smiles and says, “That’s my little rant”, then sheepishly adds, “Sorry”.

Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson and Philippa Boyens, pictured at the 2004 Academy Awards, where they won 11 Oscars. Photo / Getty Images

For now, there’s always Tolkien and his stories of elves and men and powerful rings and the new generation of heroes like Héra, who are found in or inspired by his vast appendices and indexes, to keep the lights on.

And with Boyens, a true believer, holding the reins, that journey at least, promises to stay the course.

“It’s been a privilege. Honestly, it’s been a privilege,” she says when asked how the writing of an Oxford professor in the 1930s and 1940s has so unexpectedly impacted the course of her life.

“The War of the Rohirrim is going to always be a very happy memory for me. I’m really proud of it. I hope that it’s going to connect with a new audience and bring those younger people to the world of Professor Tolkien and maybe some of them will go and pick up the book and discover more of that world for themselves. I hope it’s a really successful return to Middle-earth. That’s what I hope.”

Then, Philippa Boyens grins and says, “I’m literally knocking on wood right now”.

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim is in cinemas from Thursday