Nicholas Hoult in talks for Tolkien!

After three Hobbit movies and three Lord of the Rings movies, Middle-Earth fans might not get the chance to return to the beloved realm anytime soon, with Tolkien estate refusing to sign over film rights for the Silmarillion. But in the meantime, Ringsters may have another movie to flock to: a JRR Tolkien biopic!

Potentially starring as the mythmaker is the Young Beast from the X-Men prequels Nicholas Hoult. According to Deadline, Hoult will play a young JRR Tolkien, exploring the years before he wrote his beloved children’s book The Hobbit and his epic masterpiece The Lord of the Rings. However, if fans are expecting a magical journey, they might want to brace themselves. While the film will explore his younger years as an orphan developing friendships with “a fellow group of outcasts at school,” it will also explore his time in World War I. To give an idea of what Tolkien experienced in the war, you only need to read Lord of the Rings—the battles in it were based on ones he fought in. And as a communication officer waving flags on the battlefield, it’s a miracle Tolkien even survived to write his Middle-Earth realm.

There’s no release date yet for Fox Searchlight’s Tolkien, written by David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford and being directed by Dome Karukoski. Hoult’s Beast, however, will be returning in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, hitting theaters November 2, 2018.