Tolkien’s estate dismisses biopic

The estate of ‘ Lord of the Rings’ author says it does ‘ not approve of ’ the upcoming film.

The estate of “Lord of the Rings” author J. R. R. Tolkien said in a statement that it does not endorse an upcoming biopic based on the life of the British writer, the Guardian reported this week.

The statement read, “The family of J. R. R. Tolkien and the Tolkien Estate are aware of the Fox Searchlight motion picture entitled ‘ Tolkien’ that is due for release in May 2019. The family and the estate wish to make clear that they did not approve of, authorize or participate in the making of this f ilm. They do not endorse it or its content in any way.”

The movie stars Nicholas Hoult as Tolkien, with Lily Collins playing his wife.

The f ilm, set around World War I, follows Tolkien as he befriends a group of artists at his school, and meets and falls in love with the woman who would become his wife, Edith Bratt. It’s been in development since 2013.

An estate official told the Hollywood Reporter that Tolkien’s family has not seen the movie and was not objecting to any scene or story line in particular.

Author John Garth told the Guardian that biopics “typically take considerable license with the facts, and this one is no exception.”

Studio Fox Searchlight defended its f ilm in a statement, saying it was proud of the movie.

“While we did not work with the Tolkien estate on this project, the filmmaking team has the utmost respect and admiration for Mr. Tolkien and his phenomenal contribution to literature,” the studio said.

“Tolkien” is set for release in the U. S. on May 10.