'Tolkien' Trailer: Nicholas Hoult Finds Fellowship As 'Lord Of The Rings' Author J.R.R. Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien is one of the most beloved and respected authors of all time. Through his creation of the fantasy world known as Middle-earth, Tolkien gave readers a series of epic adventures in The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and more. As we all know, several of Tolkien's books have become major motion pictures, but now the man himself will have his story told on the big screen.Tolkien is a new biopic from Fox Searchlight staring Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: First Class, Warm Bodies) as the titular author. The first teaser trailer has arrived, and it looks like it will be Tolkien's own Finding Neverland, mixing the biographical elements of his life with flashes to the fantasy worlds that the author seemingly imagined himself in.

Even though this is just a teaser, the first footage and hammy voiceover don't inspire a lot of confidence. The mere mention of "fellowship" this early in the game makes us worry this will be full of cheeky references to characters and places from Tolkien's most famous works. I wouldn't be surprised if a short, hairy man became Tolkien's friend, and at some point he needs to be tossed out of harm's way for some reason. Or maybe Tolkien tries to ask one of his professors for a hall pass, and they say, "You shall not have a pass." You know, the good stuff.

Lily Collins also stars in Tolkien as Edith Bratt, who would eventually become the author's wife and muse. Edith was famously the inspiration for Tolkien's characters Lúthien Tinúviel and Arwen Evenstar, both characters of Middle-earth. Otherwise, the rest of the cast includes Colm Meaney, Anthony Boyle, Patrick Gibson, Tom Glynn-Carney, Craig Roberts, Laura Donnelly, Genevieve O'Reilly, Pam Ferris and Derek Jacobi.

Finnish filmmaker Dome Karukoski is behind the camera for his first major Hollywood film, and the script comes from David Gleeson (Don't Go) and Stephen Beresford (Pride). Will this be a biopic worthy of Tolkien's greatness? Or will the forced fantasy elements do him a disservice?

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.

Tolkien arrives in theaters on May 10, 2019.