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 Now the British novelist himself is the subject of a film that
looks at his early years and inspirations for his works.
"X-Men" and "The Favourite" actor Nicholas Hoult plays the title
role in "Tolkien", which follows the author as an orphan, his
friendships at school in Birmingham, studies at Oxford
University and on the frontline at the Battle of the Somme
during World War One.
"We wanted to honor him and tell our story that we thought was
fascinating about his formative years that everyone, I feel as a
fan...would be intrigued by," Hoult told Reuters.
"Mirror Mirror" actress Lily Collins plays Edith Bratt, whom
Tolkien met when he moved into a boarding house and who would
later become his wife and inspire elf Luthien in his fictional
Middle-earth world.
"We show her dancing in the forest and...her cheekiness and her
love of storytelling and the way that she just would inspire him
to continue telling stories," Collins said.
Tolkien, who was a professor of Anglo-Saxon at Oxford, published
"The Hobbit" in 1937. "The Lord of the Rings" came in three
parts between 1954 and 1955.
More than 150 million copies of "The Lord of the Rings" have
been sold worldwide. The film adaptations and those for "The
Hobbit" trilogy have grossed around $5.8 billion at global box
offices.
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Tolkien died in 1973, aged 81, two years after Bratt.
His family and estate have distanced themselves from the movie,
saying in a statement last week "they did not approve of, authorize
or participate in the making of this film. They do not endorse it or
its content in any way."
Studio Fox Searchlight Pictures said it was "proud" of the biopic
and "the filmmaking team has the utmost respect and admiration for
Mr. Tolkien and his phenomenal contribution to literature".
Director Dome Karukoski said he hoped Tolkien's family would see the
movie.
"I've actually offered...to watch it with them so they would see it
and it's done with the respect, admiration as from a fan," he said.
"Tolkien" begins its cinema roll-out from May 3.
(Reporting by Jayson Mansaray; Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian;
Editing by Sonya Hepinstall)
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