Just in case the 50 million hours of special features on the various LORD OF THE RINGS DVDs didn’t give you enough of the back story, word has it a biopic for author J.R.R Tolkien is in the works.
Tentatively called TOLKIEN, the Chernin Entertainment/Fox Searchlight production will explore the South African-born, English raised writer’s life, from his formative years at college, to his time served as a soldier in World War I.
Irish screenwriter/director David Gleeson (labeled a ‘Tolkien super fan’) is reportedly working on the script, which is said to examine how his life experience influenced his famous work.
However, there is no word that the Tolkien Estate is on board with the project so fans should not get too excited just yet…
Tolkien’s life story sure is an interesting one: He was born in South Africa in 1892 and experienced the death of both his parents before he turned 13. He was a lieutenant in the English army during World War I, and wrote THE HOBBIT and the first two books of THE LORD OF THE RINGS while on a fellowship at Pembroke College in Oxford after the war.
Tolkien was trained by the British government to be a spy and Nazi codebreaker in the lead up to WWII, but never actually served. He died at age 81 in Bournemouth, England, in 1973.
I hope I didn’t spoil the ending for anyone there…
Stay tuned for more info as it develops!
