‘The Lord of the Rings’ franchise introduces its first female protagonist to the big screen

CNN — When Gaia Wise got the call confirming she’d been cast as the lead in the new animated film “The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim,” she screamed so loudly her neighbors called the police. “I told them, ‘I’ve got a new job!’ and they looked at me like I was mad.” In the upcoming film directed by renowned anime director Kenji Kamiyama, Wise voices Héra, the youngest and only daughter of King Helm Hammerhand of Rohan, portrayed by Brian Cox. Staying true to Tolkien’s world Philippa Boyens, producer, and story consultant for the film, as well as co-writer and co-producer of “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” trilogies, says it was clear from the outset that Héra belonged at the center of this story. It was always really interesting to go, ‘well how does she feel about that?’” Boyens also highlighted Héra’s role in driving the film’s tension, “not all the characters survive the story, so she carried that weight – could she overcome, could she survive? “‘I am no man’ is Éowyn’s final big line, and I think Héra really embodies that spirit,” Wise said.