J.R.R. Tolkien will be subject of upcoming biopic movie

J.R.R. Tolkien's works have produced numerous movies, including the wildly successful Lord of the Rings franchise, The Hobbit and the new film The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, which hits theaters on Dec. 13. But a new Tolkien movie will not feature any elves, magic or orcs and will instead focus on the man himself.

The Los Angeles Times reports that a new Hollywood biopic, tentatively entitled Tolkien, will depict the famous author's life, most notably his younger years at Pembroke College and his time as a soldier in World War I. The film will explore how those periods in his life influenced his work.

David Gleeson, who is an expert on Tolkien's life and works, is writing the script. Peter Chernin's company, Chernin Entertainment (which worked on The Heat and Rise of the Planet of the Apes), will produce the film and Fox Searchlight will also be involved.

Tolkien was born in South Africa in 1892 and was raised in England. He served in World War I and lost many of his dear friends in the battles. The war had a profound effect on the author, who eventually infused his friends and their deaths into his fantasy world.

Gleeson is best known for writing and directing the 2003 independent film Cowboys and Angels. He will create the first true biopic of Tolkien's life, as numerous previous attempts (not all of them were straight biopics) have been in development but never actually came to fruition.

It is unknown at this point how much Tolkien's private estate will be involved in the upcoming film.