The second chapter of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit trilogy will soon hit theaters, adding a new installment to a multi-billion dollar movie empire that started with the 2001 hit Fellowship of the Ring. Even as movie goers gripe about the unnecessarily long adaptation of author J.R.R. Tolkien’s first book, they still find themselves drawn to it, as proven by An Unexpected Journey’s hefty box office take. As a new generation becomes more familiar with Middle-earth, one studio has announced plans to go beyond the CGI spectacle and take fans into the mind of the man who created this fantasy world and its inhabitants.
The LA Times report that a biopic centered on the iconic writer is in development at Fox Seachlight and Chernin Entertainment; Irish screenwriter David Gleeson has been penning a script for the project, which, tentatively, is titled Tolkien. Content-wise, it was revealed that their project will “examine the author’s life, particularly his formative years at Pembroke College and as a soldier in World War I, and how it influenced him and his work.”
Fox isn’t the first to have a go at his story: in 2011, EMO Films tried to adapt Steve Hillard’s book Mirkwood: A Novel About J.R.R. Tolkien, but Tolkien’s estate put the kibosh on that deal. Based on the names involved — as well as Gleeson’s reputation as a Tolkien devotee — it’s probably safe to guess that the new attempt has the approval of anyone tasked with protecting the author’s name and likeness. Regardless, Tolkien’s background — which includes service in both World Wars and relationships with other legendary literary figures, such as C.S. Lewis — should make for an interesting film.
Are you a Tolkien fan? Would you watch a biopic focusing on his life?