Tolkien - The Biopic

[Lalwendë]

Well, I think we should start a book right now on who is going to play him:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25049475

Originally Posted by The BBC

Fox Searchlight, which was behind last year's Hitchcock film, is developing a biopic about Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien.

The film will chronicle how the key moments in the novelist's life led him to write The Hobbit, and his acclaimed Rings trilogy.

Written by David Gleeson, it will focus on Tolkien's time at Oxford University and as a soldier during WW1.

Films based on Tolkien's books have grossed nearly $4bn worldwide.

Peter Jackson, who directed the Oscar-winning Lord of the Rings trilogy, will release the second chapter in the Hobbit trilogy, The Desolation of Smaug, next month.

Aside from his active role in WW1, Tolkien also acted as a code breaker during WW2.

The film will also cover his friendship with fellow author CS Lewis, with whom he studied at university and formed the writing group known as The Inklings.

It will be produced by Chernin Entertainment, behind films such as cop-comedy The Heat and Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

However, previous projects have been scuppered by the Tolkien estate, which is known to be protective of the author's output.

Last year, the estate sued Warner Bros for at least $80m (£49m) in damages from unauthorised merchandising of the Tolkien books.

In July this year, Warner Bros launched its own counterclaim, alleging the Tolkien suit has caused the studio to miss out on millions of dollars in licensing opportunities.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Having watched An Adventure in Space and Time last night (essentially a biopic of William Hartnell) my eagerness for this kind of thing has redoubled. Tripled, perhaps. I remember reading the biographies of Tolkien in the mid 2000s and loving them, but I will have to refamiliarise myself with them before they make this.

I would like to see Ben Whishaw as a young Tolkien at university. But the older Tolkien, writing The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings, to me would be a perfect roll for someone like John Hurt. (I am slightly biased, perhaps, to want him to span my three biggest fandoms; Doctor Who, Harry Potter and Tolkien).
I'd like to see Ian McKellen cameo in it because he seems like such an excellent chap and I always loved the fact that he carried around a copy of the book on set for the Lord of the Rings.

[Inziladun]

For the older Tolkien, I vote for this guy.

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

For the older Tolkien, I vote for this guy.

Jim Broadbent would be good, yes. Be nice, perhaps, if he played C.S. Lewis, though, as he was Diggory in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe films. But I seem to recall Lewis being described as a much harder and severe character than Tolkien. Or am I just recalling Anthony Hopkins' performance in Shadowlands?
Either way, I love Broadbent and it'd be great to see him in it.

[Mithalwen]

Oh lawks isn't it enough for them to butcher his books? Now they will no doubt have some inane actor actor declaring à la Kate Witless and Iris Murdoch, that they are HUGE fans but they haven't read the books.. they haven't the time. Biopic? Codswallop, historical fiction more like.

Yes I know I am a grumpy old woman but I can't imagine this being other than deeply naff sentimental tosh like Finding Neverland.

[Inziladun]

Well, they're just following the money, aren't they?

Then again, would the demographic group for which shield-surfing Legolas and warrior-princess Arwen was intended really care about the man behind the actual stories? Who are they aiming for?

The thing may not happen, though. This quote from the article brings up a sticky point:

However, previous projects have been scuppered by the Tolkien estate, which is known to be protective of the author's output.

If the Estate can quash this, I think they're likely to do it.

[Mithalwen]

But can they? They can refuse to cooperate refuse access to copyright and unpublished works but I doubt they can stop something from being concocted from stuff in the public domain and you can't libel the dead.

No doubt I am cynical but having seen article and interviews regarding the new film abou PL travers and Disney showing how beastly Travers was to quibble with the film makers treatment of her work in which she had retained rights. And the interviewer asking if Mary Poppins had been popular pre film...it had been hugely successful.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

But can they? They can refuse to cooperate refuse access to copyright and unpublished works but I doubt they can stop something from being concocted from stuff in the public domain and you can't libel the dead.

I don't know what grounds they might use to obstruct it, but even the effort might set the project back for a while. As for any potential libel, in Letters Tolkien asks why he "must be made an object of fiction while still alive." I wouldn't construe that to mean he was all right with it after his demise.

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

No doubt I am cynical but having seen article and interviews regarding the new film abou PL travers and Disney showing how beastly Travers was to quibble with the film makers treatment of her work in which she had retained rights. And the interviewer asking if Mary Poppins had been popular pre film...it had been hugely successful.

I'm not all that hopeful myself about the faithfulness of the film to reality, but I guess time will tell.

[Mithalwen]

sorry

[William Cloud Hicklin]

Aside from his active role in WW1, Tolkien also acted as a code breaker during WW2.......

.......fellow author CS Lewis, with whom he studied at university

WTBF??????

[Zigûr]

Originally Posted by Hookbill the Goomba

Having watched An Adventure in Space and Time last night (essentially a biopic of William Hartnell) my eagerness for this kind of thing has redoubled. Tripled, perhaps.

Personally I found An Adventure in Time and Space to be melodramatic and overwrought and wouldn't like to see Professor Tolkien's life given similar treatment.

If I'm going to be perfectly honest, and I apologise if this is a little strong, I actually think this idea is appallingly crass and I hope the Estate does whatever it can to shut it down. It's bad enough that this great man's life's work has been repurposed to line the pockets of fat cats who had absolutely nothing to do with him, they have to do it to his life itself? And it would inevitably be a sob story featuring Edith being all jealous about his friendship with Lewis and he and Lewis having a falling out over Williams or some other biographical detail blown entirely out of proportion.

[Thinlómien]

I'm with Inzil - we can't really know if it's going to be good before we see it. I would bet it'll be better than The Desolation of Smaug in any case.

As for casting, Ben Whishaw is a fab suggestion for young Tolkien. And young Edith should be portrayed by Ruth Wilson. As for older versions... Jim Broadbent and Diana Rigg?

[Mithalwen]

While I could do without this film I would go for Eddie Redmayne , too tall maybe but I think there is a striking resemblance to the photos of young Tolkien in uniform. Big no to Jim Broadbent not that he isn't a great actor but he is the wrong type and is in EVERYTHING... Carey Mulligan maybe as young Edith.

[Galadriel55]

This is a completely unrelated comment, but it has been bugging me so long that I have to share. Since the thread was first started, I keep misreading the title - instead of pronouncing it bIopic, in my head I pronounce it biOpic, like an adjective. As a result I have a cross between myopia and bipolar stuck in my head whenever I look at the title. Freudic predictions, anyone thinks?

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Thinlómien

I'm with Inzil - we can't really know if it's going to be good before we see it. I would bet it'll be better than The Desolation of Smaug in any case.

I can't compare it to DOS if I never see the latter.

For whatever reason though, I'm not altogether against the idea of an account of Tolkien's life on the Big Screen. At least if they get things wrong enough to be slanderous to an actual person, living or dead, there's the possibility of legal action that could stick. The poor books aren't afforded that protection.

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

While I could do without this film I would go for Eddie Redmayne , too tall maybe but I think there is a striking resemblance to the photos of young Tolkien in uniform. Big no to Jim Broadbent not that he isn't a great actor but he is the wrong type and is in EVERYTHING... Carey Mulligan maybe as young Edith.

Maybe Peter Vaughan then, for old Tolkien? Er.. maybe not.

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

This is a completely unrelated comment, but it has been bugging me so long that I have to share. Since the thread was first started, I keep misreading the title - instead of pronouncing it bIopic, in my head I pronounce it biOpic, like an adjective. As a result I have a cross between myopia and bipolar stuck in my head whenever I look at the title. Freudic predictions, anyone thinks?

Less myopia, more of this.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Originally Posted by Galadriel55

This is a completely unrelated comment, but it has been bugging me so long that I have to share. Since the thread was first started, I keep misreading the title - instead of pronouncing it bIopic, in my head I pronounce it biOpic, like an adjective. As a result I have a cross between myopia and bipolar stuck in my head whenever I look at the title. Freudic predictions, anyone thinks?

Don't worry. I had exactly the same feeling since the beginning. My first impression was that this was a thread about how Tolkien was recently discovered to have had some eye problems, then when I opened the thread and saw the first line of the opening post, I was like "okay, so it's a joke-title, probably referring to that among other things, in that film we will see how Tolkien had to come with bad eyesight." The best part about it is, that I think Lal or someone had mentioned this on Facebook long time ago and I had had the same misconception (which of course I had also immediately understood was wrong, but the first impression stayed), and now seeing the thread here, I made the same mistake again.