Christmas 2001 started a new tradition for me. For the following three years, every Christmas would be marked by watching a movie set in Tolkien’s universe. I would see the movie in December and then my wife bought me the extended director’s cut as a Christmas present.
It’s no wonder why every year I get in the mood to sit down and spend a casual 13 hours watching the great fantasy trilogy.
Even though the Hobbit was just ok, I still want, nay, need more Tolkien in my life.
I’ll even take the biopic which is good…because there are currently two in the works.
The first is the cleverly titled “Tolkien”. It is rumored to be set in the WWI era and follows the events that started the world now known as Middle-Earth (it is said that the Hobbit was conceived in a foxhole).
The second has an equally inspiring title but seems to have a little more potential: “Tolkien & Lewis”
This movie is about the relationship and faith of Tolkien and his friend and author of the Narnia series (as well as some of my favorite writings like “Mere Christianity”, “The Screwtape Letters”, “The Great Divorce”, “The Prelandra Trilogy” and so much more) C.S. Lewis.
Apparently the two men had more in common than their love of using partial initials in their names.
Lewis was an atheist before his friendship with Tolkien so it will be interesting to see just how this relationship and faith plays out on the big screen.
No release date has been set for “Tolkien” and “Tolkien & Lewis” is expected to release this year.
Until then, it’s time to grab those old books and dust them off for a trip to Middle-Earth until these movies are ready to go.
The Nerd Pastor 