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Tolkien biopic – October news

Fox Searchlight and Chernin Entertainment have begun filming the biopic Tolkien, with first images available. And, more news on the cast.

Filming

The Daily Mail has several images of the filming, which show Nicholas Hoult as Tolkien in school uniform. The Chester Chronicle also has an image of the filming at Ellesmere Port and in Liverpool.

Casting

Colm Meaney has been cast as Father Francis Morgan. Father Francis was an important figure in Tolkien’s early life, as he was the guardian of the Tolkien brothers after their mother died. Colm Meaney will be familiar to fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Tom Glynn-Carney, who starred in this year’s Dunkirk, has been cast as Tolkien’s friend Christopher Wiseman.

Genevieve O’Reilly has been cast in an undisclosed role, and has been spotted on set with Nicholas Hoult.

Nicholas Hoult has been cast as Tolkien. He’s starred in X-Men: First Class, Mad Max: Fury Road and About a Boy. He has also some experience of playing an author, portraying J.D. Salinger in the recently-released Rebel in the Rye

Lily Collins – star of Rules Don’t Apply, Mirror, Mirror and Abduction – will portray Edith Bratt, Tolkien’s wife, in the film. Commenting on Twitter, Lily said “As a lifelong fan of Tolkien’s magic, I can’t wait to start this epic adventure…

Plot

The film is being written by David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford and will focus on Tolkien’s experiences in the First World War, his early relationship with Edith, and the germs of his legendarium. According to the Verve, this will also include his friendships with Robert Gilson, Geoffrey Bache Smith, and Christopher Wiseman – collectively known as the Tea Club and Barrovian Society – as well as his struggles when

The script by David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford explores the formative years of the orphaned author as he finds friendship, love and artistic inspiration among a fellow group of outcasts at school. This takes him into the outbreak of World War I, which threatens to tear the “fellowship” apart. All of these experiences would inspire Tolkien to write his famous Middle-earth novels.

Release date

No release date as yet.

About the Author: Shaun Gunner
Shaun is the Chair of The Tolkien Society. First elected in 2013, Shaun has overseen the Society's expansion from 600 to 3,500 members. Shaun regularly speaks about adaptations of Tolkien's works and the future of Tolkien scholarship whilst passionately believing the Society needs to reach out to new audiences. In his spare time he can be found playing video games and Lego, or on Twitter. He chaired another charity, Mankind, and is a local councillor.