What’s a Tolkien fan to do when the extended cut of There and Back Again has come and gone after the holiday season of 2014? With the rights for his other books held by the Tolkien Estate,
it’s unlikely we’ll be seeing further adaptations anytime soon. But over the past couple of days, we’ve been hearing rumblings of a new project in the works that will take a look at the Professor’s life – focusing on his time in college and in the Great War, as well as how his works were influenced by those experiences. Thanks to QuackingTroll (and a lot more of you!) for sending in this story from the L.A. Times.
The script for Tolkien (as it is tentatively titled) is currently being written by Tolkien “superfan” David Gleeson, and produced by Chernin Entertainment for Fox Searchlight Pictures.
Gleeson, an Ireland-born screenwriter best known for writing and directing the 2003 indie “Cowboys and Angels,” will examine Tolkien’s life story and how
these experiences led to and shaped his work. (The universe of Frodo, Bilbo et al. was of course also informed by influences as varied as “Beowulf” and
Richard Wagner.)
Click here to read the full L.A. Times article.
I must admit, with all the biographical films floating around over the years – I am surprised that one about Professor Tolkien never made it into production. As the article explains, there have been other attempts that have never made it past the development stage. I find myself cautiously excited about this – with the fear that usually comes along with any Hollywood portrayal of a real person. Hopefully, they will do our favorite author justice – and create a great film at the same time.
