Tolkien is a biographical drama film about the early life of J.R.R. Tolkien, the author of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Tolkien is not available for streaming on Netflix.
Tolkien came out in theaters in the U.K. on May 3, 2019, and in the United States on May 10, 2019, by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through Fox Searchlight Pictures.
In this movie, young Tolkien, played by Harry Gilby, becomes friends with a group of fellow artists and writers at school. They develop a bond of fellowship, which became very strong as they grew up and faced hardships together. However, it is threatened during World War I. Tolkien also meets and falls in love with Edith Bratt. The adult Tolkien is played by Nicholas Hoult. Young Edith Bratt is played by Mimi Keene, and the adult Edith Bratt is played by Lily Collins. Colm Meaney and Derek Jacobi also star in this film.
J.R.R. Tolkien’s family and the Tolkien Estate have disavowed this movie. They have not seen the movie, but they have had a long history of disagreement with any official biopics about the life of the late author. Tolkien does leave out an important part of his story, which was the importance of his Roman Catholic faith in the development of his work.
At its box office debut in the United States and Canada, Tolkien grossed $2.9 million and finished in ninth place. The critical response to Tolkien was mixed. Some reviewers really liked it, and others felt that it did not do justice to the life of the famous author.
Will Tolkien be coming to Netflix?
If you are hoping to catch Tolkien on Netflix, you are out of luck.
Tolkien will not be coming to Netflix.
While Disney used to have a streaming deal with Netflix, that deal ran out at the end of 2018 and was not renewed. Disney is planning to start its own streaming service at the end of 2019, Disney+, so it is likely that they will stream Tolkien on that service. Yet, Disney also now owns a controlling share in Hulu as well, so it is possible that Tolkien will go to Hulu instead.
At present, Disney has not released any details about when its service will come nor what it will cost, but it just announced that it plans to bundle Disney+ with ESPN+ and Hulu for just one price.
There are several other biographical dramas showing on Netflix right now, however. Some of these are:
- The Music of Silence – a film based on the autobiography of the tenor Andrea Bocelli.
- Nowhere Boy – a film about John Lennon’s difficult reunion with his mother after being raised by his aunt.
- Lincoln – a film directed by Steven Spielberg chronicling Abraham Lincoln’s stewardship of the Union during the Civil War years.
- The King’s Speech – a film about King George VI as he struggled to be able to communicate to the public during a difficult time in history and his work with a speech therapist as a part of that struggle.
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