There have now been six movies set in Middle Earth: three Lord of the Rings movies and three Hobbit films, all directed by Peter Jackson. Audiences have likely had enough of the world J.R.R. Tolkien created, but might they want to learn more about the author himself? We're about to find out as Lord of the Rings producers Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne are planning a Tolkien biopic.
According to Deadline, British director James Strong (Broadchurch) will direct Middle Earth from a script by Angus Fletcher. The writer spent six years doing extensive research on Tolkien, in order to tell the "epic story" centering on his love affair with with eventual wife, Edith Bratt. "When war broke out in 1914, disrupting his Oxford life with his wife Edith Bratt, Tolkien embarked on four years of battle, hardship, and new friendships, which served to shape his imagination and start him on the path to Middle Earth."
So no hobbits then? No Gollum? Not sure Tolkien is compelling as the subject of a movie, but a lot of that is going to depend on who plays him. Would it be weird if they chose someone who was part of the previous movies, like Viggo Mortensen or Benedict Cumberbatch?
