'Tolkien' Trailer: The 'Lord Of The Rings' Author Gets The 'Shakespeare In Love' Treatment

Remember Shakespeare in Love? The Oscar-winning movie in which we saw William Shakespeare being influenced by the people and events around him to write some of his most famous works? Well, that same concept is now being applied to Lord of the Rings creator J.R.R. Tolkien in Tolkien. The film shows how Tolkien's friendships, romances and time fighting in World War I shaped events in his famous works, with Nicholas Hoult playing the famous author. Watch the latest Tolkien trailer below.

Most authors draw upon their own life experiences when crafting fiction, and it's been well-documented that events in J.R.R. Tolkien's life influenced his Lord of the Rings books. Still, it's a bit jarring to see that taken so literally in the Tolkien trailer, where we see the young author hiding behind a wall as bullies run by just like the Nazgûl, and a dragon belches fire on a battlefield. And just in case you missed every single reference here, the trailer ends with Tolkien proclaiming his close friendship with his mates to be...you guessed it...a fellowship. Here's the synopsis:

TOLKIEN explores the formative years of the orphaned author as he finds friendship, love and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts at school. This takes him into the outbreak of World War I, which threatens to tear the "fellowship" apart. All of these experiences would inspire Tolkien to write his famous Middle-Earth novels.

I enjoyed this same sort of set-up with Shakespeare in Love, because it felt cheeky and amusing there. Here, it's being played straight, for drama. Will it work? It just might – people love biopics. Nicholas Hoult plays Tolkien, while Lily Collins is Edith Bratt, the woman who would eventually become Tolkien's wife. Other cast members include Colm Meaney, Tom Glynn-Carney, Anthony Boyle and Derek Jacobi. Dome Karukoski, helmer of Tom of Finland, directs, with a script from David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford.

This isn't the only Tolkien-related project on the horizon. Amazon is currently working on their very expensive Lord of the Rings TV series, which is likely to debut in 2020. Tolkien opens in theaters May 10, 2019.