He's the star of the upcoming J.R.R. Tolkien biopic, taking on the role of the legendary author as a young man.

And Nicholas Hoult is clearly well under way shooting the film, spotted on location with his co-star Genevieve O'Reilly on Wednesday.

The actor, 27, looked to be filming on some kind of sports pitch - or at least the sweeping lawns of a stately home - and was caked in mud.

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Covered in (Middle) earth! Mud-soaked Nicholas Hoult shares a joke on set of J.R.R. Tolkien biopic between takes with co-star Genevieve O'Reilly

Wearing a polo shirt, shorts and knee-high socks, the former Skins actor slicked his dark hair to the side, as was the fashion in the early 1900s, when the film is set.

He chatted to co-star Genevive, 40, who was dressed up in an early 20th Century ensemble - a russet-coloured dress, a hat, gloves and a fur around her neck.

As the cameras rolled, the pair engaged in what looked like a heated scene, with Nicolas looking terse as he walked away from Genevive, who looked on somberly in the background.

There were also umbrellas being opened around the set, ready to protect the actors from the wet autumnal weather.

The film will follow author Tolkien in his earlier years as a love lorn soldier, who, on return from the Great War, uses it as inspiration to create one of the greatest works of literature in history - The Lord Of The Rings.

From one novelist to another: Nicholas Hoult, who will appear as J.D. Salinger late this year, is playing another beloved literary figure after being cast as The Lord Of The Rings scribe J.R.R. Tolkien

On location: The actors looked to be filming on some kind of sports pitch - or at least the sweeping lawns of a stately home

Literary giant: The 27-year-old is said to be the top choice to play the famed fantasy writer in a biopic of his life, which is currently titled Tolkien

The movie - which is currently titled Tolkien - also stars Lily Collins and Colm Meaney, and has been filming in various Northern locations around England, including Cheshire, the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port and the Porters Row Cottages that also featured in Peaky Blinders.

The movie is being directed by Finnish filmmaker Dome Karukoski; UK duo David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford have been tasked with writing the script.

The director announced back in July that the film will focus on the titular writer 'as he finds friendship, love, and artistic inspiration among a fellow group of outcasts at school prior to the outbreak of World War I in 1914.'

New role: The Mad Max: Fury Road will play the titular role in the film, which will be produced by Fox Searchlight and Cherin Entertainment and directed by Finland's Dome Karukoski

In production: Nicholas Hoult is clearly well under way shooting the film, spotted on location with his co-star Genevieve O'Reilly on Wednesday

Who is she? Genevieve O'Reilly, of Star Wars, is playing an undisclosed role in the film

Keeping dry: There were also umbrellas being opened around the set, ready to protect the actors from the wet autumnal weather

The 'outcasts' in question were Robert Gilson, Geoffrey Bache Smith and Christopher Wiseman, who, along with Tolkien, called themselves the Tea Club and Barrovian Society (TCBS).

They were close school friends and also shared aspirations of being writers.

They each joined the military and fought on the front lines in WWI.

Gilson and Smith were killed, something Tolkien later described as being like 'like winter on his creative powers in their first bloom'.

Fraught moment: As the cameras rolled, the pair engaged in what looked like a heated scene, with Nicolas looking terse as he walked away from Genevieve, who looked on somberly in the background

Co-stars: The pair were seen smiling as the cameras took a break

Irish beauty: Genevieve looked flawless in her early 1990s costume

Line up: The scene seemed to feature a team of schoolboys playing football or rugby

The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings were written with this imagery in mind, with the novelist incorporating warfar into the plots, as well as a sense of sadness and loss.

The biopic - which is slated for a 2018 release - is not the only one of it's kind in production at the moment.

New Line Cinema is reportedly developing another biopic called Middle-earth, to be helmed by Broadchurch and Downton Abbey director James Strong.

Up north: The movie also stars Lily Collins and Colm Meaney, and has been filming in various Northern locations around England, including Cheshire, the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port and the Porters Row Cottages that also featured in Peaky Blinders

At the helm: The movie is being directed by Finnish filmmaker Dome Karukoski

The early years: The director announced back in July that the film will focus on the titular writer 'as he finds friendship, love, and artistic inspiration among a fellow group of outcasts at school prior to the outbreak of World War I in 1914'

Quick, march: The 'outcasts' in question were Robert Gilson, Geoffrey Bache Smith and Christopher Wiseman, who, along with Tolkien, called themselves the Tea Club and Barrovian Society (TCBS)

Based on a true story...: The boys were close school friends and also shared aspirations of being writers. They each joined the military and fought on the front lines in WWI

Tragic: Gilson and Smith were killed, something Tolkien later described as being like 'like winter on his creative powers in their first bloom'

This movie is set to chart Tolkien’s relationship with the woman who he would eventually marry - Edith Bratt.

She was reportedly the inspiration for one of his first Middle-earth stories.

Nicolas has also recently played another famous author, J.D. Salinger, in biopic Rebel In The Rye later this year.

He began his acting career alongside Hugh Grant in About A Boy when he was just seven years old.

Nicholas went on to star in cult teen drama Skins before gaining notoriety off-screen relationship with X-Men co-star Jennifer Lawrence.

Playing the greats: Nicolas has also recently played another famous author, J.D. Salinger, in biopic Rebel In The Rye later this year

Tolkien, whose full name was John Ronald Reuel, has a long and varied history for the film to draw from, having lost both parents before he was 12.

But it was his time after the war that solidified his literary presence for generations to come, penning The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings series when he became an academic at Pembroke College.

Releasing The Hobbit in 1937, his subsequent sequels took him over a decade to finish, completing The Return Of The King in 1949.

The author passed away in 1971 at the age of 81, with his books going on to sell more than 250 million copies worldwide and spawning six blockbuster films.

Phenomenon: The Lord Of The Rings trilogy directed by New Zealand's Peter Jackson was adapted for the screen first, with The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers and The Return Of The King all released consecutively between 2001 and 2003

Iconic: Both a critical and box office success, the films have since grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide and won 17 Academy Awards between them

The Lord Of The Rings trilogy directed by New Zealand's Peter Jackson was adapted for the screen first, with The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers and The Return Of The King all released consecutively between 2001 and 2003.

The pictures boasted a star studded cast, making household names of Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Viggo Mortensen, Andy Serkis, Ian McKellen and the late Sir Christopher Lee.

Both a critical and box office success, the films have since grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide and won 17 Academy Awards between them.

Worldwide Box Office The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - $869.3 million The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers - $923.3 million The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King - $1.12 billion The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - $1.02 billion The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug - $958.4 million The Hobbit: The Battle Of Five Armies - $956 million Advertisement

Following their success, Tolkien's earlier work The Hobbit was also brought to life and controversially split into three films: An Unexpected Journey, The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle Of Five Armies.

Martin Freeman led the pictures as Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit who joined a group of dwarves including Richard Armitage's Thorin, James Nesbitt's Bofur and Aidan Turner's Kili, seeking to reclaim their mountain home.

The films also starred Benedict Cumberbatch, Sylvester McCoy, Luke Evans, Evangeline Lilly and Lee Pace.

Full of adventure and mystical beasts like dragons, the Hobbit films also proved a financial success, earning an average of $980 million each at the box office.