While we wait for a Battle for Middle Earth remake, an alternative might be Tales of Middle Earth, a mod that transforms Age of Empires II into a Lord of the Rings game.
Tales of Middle Earth isn’t 100% complete (the mod has been in development for six years!), but a near-final build is downloadable and playable.
Here’s the official description:
Tales of Middle Earth (ToME) is the first ever fully playable total conversion for AoK based on the works of J.R.R Tolkien. Featuring full 18 realms of Middle-earth including Elves, Men of the West, the Rohirrim, Southrons and the Easterlings, and the evil forces under Mordor and Angmar. Bring to life all your favourite battles and stories from The Lord of the Rings on maps of real Middle-earth locations. From the keen archers of Lórien to the trolls of Mordor; the Rangers of the North to the dreaded giant Mûmakil – hundreds of new units, with over a hundred new building graphics and wonders from the Middle-earth.
All 18 factions have their own visuals, and there are new terrain graphics as well, which is cool. There are also changes to the economy and naval battles from the base game.
You can download Tales of Middle Earth here.