‘The Hobbit’ Creator J.R.R. Tolkien Biopic Announced

With the second installment of Peter Jackson's 'The Hobbit' trilogy, 'The Desolation of Smaug,' poised to hit theaters this December 13, it's time to turn our attention to the man who started it all. Fox Searchlight has announced development on a biopic following 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings' author J.R.R. Tolkien.

According to the studio, which is partnering with Chernin Entertainment, the project will highlight key points in Tolkien's life that led him to create 'The Hobbit' and later the 'Rings' trilogy. David Gleeson wrote the script for the film, though there's no word yet on whether the Tolkien estate, which has been known to be vocally protective of all things Tolkien, is on board or not.

Tolkien himself led an adventurous life, having fought in World War I and was a code breaker in waiting in World War II. He was also part of a writing group known as the Inklings, of which his close friend 'The Chronicles of Narnia' writer C.S. Lewis was a part.

If you recall, Fox Searchlight brought us last year's 'Hitchcock,' starring Anthony Hopkins in the title role and earning Helen Mirren a Best Actress win at the Golden Globes. This year, the studio brought us Steve McQueen's hard-to-watch '12 Years a Slave,' starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon Northup, a free African-American man kidnapped into slavery by trickster slave traders.