By To put it politely, The Hobbit films were underwhelming. Yes, they were extremely successful at the box office, but that trio of movies was bloated filmmaking at its most bloated. They had nothing on The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and it turned out Peter Jackson didn’t have enough pre-production time.
Despite some critical disappointment, two Lord of the Rings producers want to make a J.R.R. Tolkien biopic. The project is titled Middle Earth, written by Angus Fletcher, an Associate Professor of English and Film Studies at Ohio State University. James Strong (whose numerous TV credits include Doctor Who and Downtown Abbey) is set to direct, with Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne signed on to produce.
Fletcher reportedly spent six years researching and writing the screenplay for Middle Earth. The biopic focuses on Tolkien marriage to Edith Bratt and service in World War I. Tolkien’s experiences in WWI were crucial in the development of both The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. One assumes there’d also be some stuff about his friendship with C.S. Lewis and The Inklings at Oxford.
So what do you think about a Tolkien biopic? Is it something you want to see? Has the best time for a Tolkien biopic passed? Would you rather The Silmarillion? What about second breakfast? Let us know in the comments.
[via /Film]