Tolkien trailer: Nicholas Hoult stars as Lord of the Rings author in first look at biopic

Film explores 'the formative years of the orphaned author'

The first trailer for the biopic Tolkien has been released, giving a first look at Nicholas Hoult‘s performance as the celebrated author.

Set to be released in May 2019, the film chronicles the youth of JRR Tolkien, and the path that led him to create the Middle Earth and the novels set in it, from The Hobbit to the Lord of the Rings series.

In the trailer, Hoult’s Tolkien describes the story he wants to tell as such: “It’s a story about journeys, the journeys we take to prove ourselves. It’s about inventions.

“It’s about potent magic – magic beyind anything anyone has ever felt before, about what it means to love and to be loved, about courage. It’s about fellowship.”

That description, of course, can easily be applied to the Lord of the Rings novels – and the use of the word “fellowship” appears to be a reference to the title of the first volume of the series, The Fellowship of the Ring.

A synopsis for Tolkien published by distrubutor Fox Searchlight describes the movie as exploring “the formative years of the orphaned author as he finds friendship, love and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts at school”.

The description continues: “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.”

In addition to Hoult, Tolkien stars Lily Collins as Edith Bratt, Tolkien’s longtime friend, who later became his wife.