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By Ken Miyamoto from ScreenCraft · December 4, 2023
There’s nothing more intriguing than watching a cinematic interpretation of a real-life character, story, or historical moment in time. Here are 10 movies based on real people and stories, complete with scripts that you can find in our expansive screenplay library. We’ll showcase the trailers, loglines, and screenwriters, and talk a little bit about how the screenplay and film handled the true stories.
Scripts from this Article
Malcolm X
All The Presidents Men
The Social Network
Can You Ever Forgive Me
I, Tonya
The Wolf Of Wall Street
Stan And Ollie
Being the Ricardos
Titanic
Dumb Money
Logline: The life of Malcolm X, from his troubled youth to his transformation into a powerful civil rights leader and advocate for black empowerment.
Screenplay by: Spike Lee and Arnold Perl
The film is based on The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley. Spike Lee’s screenplay, co-written with Arnold Perl, delves into Malcolm X’s complex life, capturing his evolution from a street hustler to a charismatic leader. The movie explores the political and personal aspects of Malcolm X’s journey, depicting the Nation of Islam, his pilgrimage to Mecca, and his assassination. The film embraces the biopic elements of handling a real-life story, following the subject from an early age to their eventual demise while showcasing both the negative and positive impacts Malcolm X had on his own life, the lives around him, and society as a whole.
Logline: Journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein investigate the Watergate scandal, uncovering a web of political corruption that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon.
Screenplay by: William Goldman
Based on the book by Woodward and Bernstein, William Goldman’s screenplay skillfully adapts the real events, focusing primarily on Woodward and Bernstein’s perspective. The film provides a tense and gripping portrayal of investigative journalism, highlighting the reporters’ relentless pursuit of truth. It remains a benchmark for political thrillers, capturing the Watergate scandal’s tension and impact on American journalism.
It is a perfect example of a screenplay focusing on a particular historical event in time, and the key figures involved in the discovery of the scandal. The script doesn’t delve into the back stories of the investigative journalists, nor does it explore Nixon’s perspective as a main narrative arc. Instead, we learn about the scandal through the eyes of Woodward and Bernstein.
Logline: The founding and tumultuous rise of Facebook, exploring the relationships and legal battles that accompany the creation of the social media giant.
Screenplay by: Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay, based on Ben Mezrich’s book The Accidental Billionaires, cleverly dramatizes the creation of Facebook. While many of the scenes actually did happen, this narrative approach isn’t entirely accurate, instead capturing the essence of the interpersonal conflicts and legal disputes surrounding the platform’s founding. But despite that, it’s Sorkin’s dialogue-driven script and David Fincher’s direction that contribute to the film’s compelling narrative.
Logline: A down-and-out biographer turns to forging letters from deceased authors to make ends meet, leading her down a dangerous path of deception.
Screenplay by: Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty
Based on Lee Israel’s memoir, the screenplay by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty sensitively portrays the real-life struggles of the main character. The film balances the darker aspects of forgery with humor and empathy, showcasing the loneliness and desperation that drove Israel to commit literary fraud. While the screenplay does take some creative liberties, it is a perfect example of a real-life story being just as unbelievable and compelling as a fictional story that a screenwriter could concoct.
Logline: The life of figure skater Tonya Harding and the infamous attack on her competitor, Nancy Kerrigan, as well as the events leading up to it.
Screenplay by: Steven Rogers
This unique and hilarious take on the tragic real-life story showcases a mockumentary-style approach to Tonya Harding’s life. Steven Rogers’ screenplay presents conflicting perspectives from different characters, blurring the lines between truth and perception.
The film provides a nuanced portrayal of Harding’s tumultuous life, the competitive figure skating world, and the media frenzy surrounding the Kerrigan incident. While highly influenced by real life and the actual words of Harding and the various characters involved with the attack — as well as her upbringing — the script is creative in using the differing perspectives and accounts as a way to showcase how ridiculous the true story was in real life.
Logline: The rise and fall of Jordan Belfort, a stockbroker who engages in corrupt activities on Wall Street.
Screenplay by: Terence Winter
Based on the real Jordan Belfort’s memoir, Terence Winter’s screenplay brings the excesses and moral decay of Wall Street to life. The film, directed by Martin Scorsese, doesn’t glorify Belfort’s actions but rather exposes the consequences of unchecked greed. The screenplay combines dark humor with a cautionary tale, portraying the ethical and legal downfall of its protagonist. Belfort himself is an unreliable narrator at times when it comes to his memoir.
We don’t know whether or not he’s conning us as an audience with his stories of potential delusions of grandeur. The screenplay manages to either take some of Belfort’s claims to the extreme or concoct outrageous events to deliver the cautionary message of the film. Many supporting characters are based on real-life characters, but not outright true interpretations of them and the cinematic versions of their interactions with Belfort. In short, the movie is an enhanced version of the truth for entertainment’s sake.
Logline: The later years in the career of the iconic comedy duo Laurel and Hardy as they embark on a tour to revive their popularity.
Screenplay by: Jeff Pope
Jeff Pope’s screenplay focuses on the friendship and professional relationship between Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy during their later years. The film avoids sensationalism and sentimentality, presenting a heartfelt and respectful portrayal of the beloved comedians. It explores the challenges of aging in the entertainment industry and the enduring bond between the two performers.
It is a perfect example of handling real-life characters by showcasing them in just a window of their lives. The characters of Stan and Ollie are not handled as a biopic story, starting at their origin and taking them through their whole lives and careers. Instead, we see the historical pop culture figures during a part of their lives and careers that we didn’t know much about.
Logline: A week in the life of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, focusing on the behind-the-scenes drama of producing their groundbreaking television show, I Love Lucy.
Screenplay by: Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Sorkin’s screenplay weaves a narrative around the professional and personal challenges faced by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. While the film takes some creative liberties, it captures the essence of their dynamic relationship, the pressures of show business, and the cultural impact of I Love Lucy.
The screenplay balances drama, humor, and nostalgia in its portrayal of the iconic couple, and is another example of a true story being told within the confines of a specific window in time. And that window allows viewers to learn more about the pop culture figures we already loved. We learn about their motivations, their struggles, and the turmoil in their relationship that was never present on television.
Logline: A romance unfolds against the backdrop of the ill-fated maiden voyage of the R.M.S. Titanic.
Screenplay by: James Cameron
While the central love story is fictional, James Cameron’s screenplay incorporates historical elements and details from the actual sinking of the Titanic. The film’s attention to period accuracy and its depiction of the ship’s tragic fate contribute to a gripping and visually stunning narrative.
The screenplay successfully blends romance, drama, and disaster, which made Titanic a cultural phenomenon. What is so wonderful about this screenplay is that it doesn’t matter if Jack and Rose — as well as the main antagonists working against them — never existed. Their story is a narrative portal into the otherwise accurate portrayal of that tragic event in history, and the film allows audiences to experience what it was like to be on that ship.
Logline: A David vs. Goliath true story about everyday people who flipped the script on Wall Street and got rich by turning the GameStop stock into the world’s hottest stock rise.
Screenplay by: Lauren Schuker Blum, Rebecca Angelo, Ben Mezrich
In tackling the dynamic narrative of the GameStop stock craze story, the film faces the task of crafting an engaging and authentic portrayal, capturing the January events where a surge in stock prices for the seemingly overlooked video game retailer, GameStop, occurred. And it faces that task well. Novice traders, fueled by online content, propelled the stock to unprecedented heights, confounding seasoned investors who had previously dismissed the company.
The screenplay adeptly navigates the intricacies of financial jargon, portraying the clash between amateur traders and hedge funds shorting the stock. The dialogue is fast-paced, and skillfully weaves through the dual realms of online trading vernacular and traditional financial language, providing a riveting and enlightening exploration of the GameStop phenomenon. Like other true story scripts featured above, the writers take creative liberties when needed to portray the story within the confines of a two-hour window — all while making sure that the key people involved in the story are ever-present.
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We hope you enjoy the real-life stories! Check our script library for more!
Read More: Real Drama: Scripts You Should Read If You’re Writing a Biopic
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Ken Miyamoto has worked in the film industry for nearly two decades, most notably as a studio liaison for Sony Studios and then as a script reader and story analyst for Sony Pictures.
He has many studio meetings under his belt as a produced screenwriter, meeting with the likes of Sony, Dreamworks, Universal, Disney, Warner Brothers, as well as many production and management companies. He has had a previous development deal with Lionsgate, as well as multiple writing assignments, including the produced miniseries Blackout, starring Anne Heche, Sean Patrick Flanery, Billy Zane, James Brolin, Haylie Duff, Brian Bloom, Eric La Salle, and Bruce Boxleitner, the feature thriller Hunter’s Creed, and many Lifetime thrillers. Follow Ken on Twitter @KenMovies and Instagram @KenMovies76
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