The legendary writer's family wants nothing to do with the upcoming film.
The estate of J.R.R. Tolkien is distancing itself from the forthcoming film centered on the life of the beloved author behind classics like The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
While a statement released on Tuesday doesn't condemn the upcoming film Tolkien, it does make it clear that the family doesn't approve of it, either.
"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 estate's statement reads. "The family and the Estate wish to make clear that they did not approve of, authorize or participate in the making of this film. They do not endorse it or its content in any way."
The upcoming biopic, which stars Nicholas Hoult as the titular writer and Lily Collins as Edith Bratt, the love of Tolkien's life and his eventual wife, will explore his formative years as he befriends fellow artists and writers. It also touches upon the ways that World War I changed his life and his writing.
Although Tolkien's family is not associated with the film, they did issue the television rights to The Lord of the Rings to Amazon in 2017. The studio apparently intends to explore the Second Age of Middle-earth, an era thousands of years before Frodo Baggins left the Shire to rid himself of the one ring.
Tolkien arrives in theaters on May 10.
RELATED CONTENT:
