Nicholas Hoult seems to really like his classic 20th century literature. Earlier this week we saw him in the trailer for Rebel In the Rye, an upcoming biopic about notorious recluse and Catcher in the Rye author J.D Salinger.

Now it appears he's moved interest in genres from young adult fiction to fantasy as he's currently in early talks to play Lord of the Rings author JRR Tolkien in a new biopic.

The film looks to cover Tolkien's early years as an orphaned author, who finds acceptance, comfort and like-mindedness in a new group of friends until the first world war disrupts his life and threatens to tear his circle of friends apart. It's these experiences that we assume will inform the creation of his fantasy worlds.

The biopic is being produced by Fox Searchlight, directed by Dome Karukoski and written by David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford. As well as appearing in the upcoming Rebel in The Rye, Hoult will also be returning as Beast in the X:Men Dark Phoenix, which is now shooting.