Lily Collins to play J R R Tolkien's wife in biopic

Los Angeles: Actor Lily Collins is set to star in the upcoming J R R Tolkien biopic.

The 28-year-old star will take on the role of Edith Bratt, the author's great love and eventual wife who became the inspiration behind the elven princess characters in "The Lord of the Rings" saga, reported Variety.

After the casting news broke, Collins took to her Twitter account to share her excitement.

The actor said, "As a lifelong fan of Tolkien's magic, I can't wait to start this epic adventure..."
Finnish director Dome Karukoski will helm the biopic, with David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford on board to pen the script.

Chernin Entertainment is producing for Fox Searchlight. No release date has been set yet.
The biopic is said to focus on Tolkien as he finds friendship, love and artistic inspiration among a group of classmates before the outbreak of WWI in 1914.

He served in the British armed forces from 1916 to 1920, before writing his two novels while working at Pembroke College. He died in 1973.
Collins is known for her work on TV series "The Last Tycoon", on which she takes on the role of Celia Brady, as well as films like "The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones", "The Blind Side", "Rules Don't Apply" and "Mirror Mirror", in which she starred opposite Julia Roberts.

The Golden Globe-nominated actor most recently starred in Netflix's "Okja" and indie film "To the Bone".