It is widely accepted that Tolkien's inspiration for the four hobbit friends came from his tight-knit group of buddies while at King Edward's School in Birmingham (along with influence from various soldiers he met while serving in the British army during WWI). There he, Rob Gilson, Geoffrey Bache Smith and Christopher Wiseman founded a secret society (or fellowship) called the T.C.B.S., or the Tea Club and Barrovian Society. All four friends continued to exchange their own stories, poems and other literary works and ambitions even after leaving school.
Although the four hobbits were reunited at the end of their harrowing adventures, the same unfortunately cannot be said for Tolkien and his friends. Tolkien and Wiseman were the only members of the group to survive World War I, so you might want to pack some extra tissues in your pocket when you head to the theater. (Actually, his romance with Edith, though it ends happily, also hit some major bumps along the way, so maybe bring as many tissues as you can. You know, just in case.)
We’ll have to wait until May 10, 2019, for Tolkien to hit theaters, but between all of Tolkien’s written works and more than 20 hours of film to watch thanks to all the Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movies, we’ve got more than enough to entertain and excite us until then.
