Nicholas Hoult to star as J.R.R. Tolkein in upcoming film

Titled Tolkien, the film explores the writer’s formative years and will also star Lily Collins as his wife, Edith, who served as the inspiration for characters in his books.

The first trailer, released on Monday, features a montage of moments from Tolkien’s life, including his time spent fighting in the First World War.

Later, scenes reminiscent from the British author’s most famous work, The Lord Of The Rings, also appear.

A voice over from Hoult says: “It’s a story about journeys, the journeys we take to prove ourselves. It’s about adventures, it’s about potent magic, magic beyond anything anyone has ever felt before; it’s about what it means to love, and to be loved; it’s about courage; it’s about fellowship.”

Tolkien, who was born in South Africa but raised in Birmingham, is known for his books in the fantasy genre including The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.

Birmingham and the wider West Midlands inspired much of Tolkein's work, as he grew up in King's Heath and spent a lot of time in Hall Green, where Moseley Bog – believed to be Fangorn and the Old Forest in The Lord of the Rings – and Sarehole Mill provided inspiration for his books.

His aunt had a farm called Bag End, which became the name of the house of both Frodo and Bilbo Baggins. Perrott's Folly and the chimney of Edgbaston Pumping Station are said to have inspired Tolkien's Two Towers of Gondor.

The Black Country and it's abundance of coal mines, ironworks, steel mills, canals and runways is even said to have inspired Mordor.

He is widely considered one of the most influential authors ever and Hollywood adaptions of his books have grossed billions of pounds worldwide.

Tolkien died in 1973 aged 81. Tolkien is due to be released in the UK on May 3.