Chernin Entertainment, one the production companies behind Rise of the Planet of the Apes and the 2012 Tom Cruise sci-fi flick Oblivion, is currently planning a biopic about Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit author, Professor John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (or J. R. R. Tolkien, as most human beings know him).

The author of an array of fantasy works (a good number of which were published after his death), Tolkien is considered to be the “father” of fantasy fiction. Even before the highly successful live-action film adaptations of the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit  (latter has grossed over one billion dollars at the box office, and still has two more films in its series to be released), the novels were highly influential on other fantasy authors, and had prior adaptations in the forms of several animated features, video games, role-playing games, card games, and stage plays. Adding to that, Tolkien did not lead a boring life, as he fought in World War I – where he was part of a battalion that was nearly wiped out – and maintaining a friendship with Chronicles of Narnia author C. S. Lewis, it’s a wonder the man’s story has not been put to screen before.

As reported by the LA Times, the film, known simply as Tolkien for now, is being written by Irish writer/director David Gleeson (Cowboys and Angels, The Front Line).