Tolkien biopic ‘Middle Earth’ in the works

Former New Line Cinema heads Bob Shayne and Michael Lynne are producing “Middle Earth,” a biopic on J.R.R Tolkien that focuses on English writer and poet’s life and the events that led to him creating the fantasy world he would be best known for.

Deadline reports that James Strong is attached to direct the film. Known for his work on "Downtown Abbey," Strong will be helming the film based on a script by Angus Fletcher that compiles six years of archival research and personal interviews.

Shayne and Lynne are best known for greenlighting Peter Jackson’s “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, which became a critical success in the box office and went on to earn $3 billion worldwide.

“Middle Earth” will cover Tolkien’s early life and subsequent marriage to Edith Bratt. The couple’s life and happiness in Oxford will be explored, as well as their experiences during World War I, when Tolkien was inspired to write what would become one of the greatest fantasy sagas the world has ever known.

No other details were released on “Middle Earth”, but a biopic on Tolkien is sure to get fans of the author and those invested in his literary works inside and outside of Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit interested. — BM, GMA News