Mad Max: Fury Road star Nicholas Hoult in talks to play a young J.R.R. Tolkien in a new biopic
Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road, Warm Bodies) is in talks to portray a young J.R.R. Tolkien in a new biopic, according to Variety. Though talks are said to be in the early stages, Hoult is reportedly the frontrunner to play the author of “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.” The Tolkien biopic comes to us from Fox Searchlight and Chernin Entertainment. Tolkien will be directed by Dome Karukoski (The House of Dark Butterflies) from a script from David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford. It reportedly takes place before the beginning of WWI, in which Tolkien served from 1916 to 1920. “The Hobbit” was published in 1937 and “The Lord of the Rings” in 1954 and 1955, in three parts. “The Lord of the Rings” was written between 1937 and 1949 and is one of the best-selling novels of all time.
“The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings” were the basis for the two film trilogies. Tolkien has been in the works since 2013.
Hoult is known for his work in films like Mad Max: Fury Road, the zombie love story Warm Bodies, X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse where he played Hank McCoy/Beast. He will reprise the role in the upcoming film X-Men: Dark Phoenix. He’ll next be seen in Rebel in the Rye where he plays J.D. Salinger, The Current War where he’ll play Nikola Tesla and The Favourite. He’s the voice of Fiver in the upcoming animated miniseries Watership Down.
Are you guys excited to learn about J.R.R. Tolkien’s youth in the upcoming biopic? What do you think of the casting of Nicholas Hoult in the role? We want to hear from you! Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or tweet us @ComingSoonnet.