Top Ten True Story Films Hollywood needs to Make

[chasmmi]

So Hollywood does love its “Based on a True Story’ and Oscar Bait Biopics where megastar X can launch an assault on elusive Oscar glory.

 

Slightly inspired by @The Panda's current countdown poll, here ten events or people in history that I think would provide the foundation for either a fantastic awards centric film, or a $150M blockbuster spectacular.

 

*Disclaimer*

 

Some of these suggestions may exist as TV Movies, or even cinematic releases of the past. I am saying these people and events would work even better on a bigger, with modern budgets, and A List talent working on them.

 

I may also have slightly Hollywoodified my pitches to help improve them in the eyes of any potential producers out there.

 

So let’s begin…

[chasmmi]

10. Vince McMahon

Life Story Biopic: From Beginnings Until Purchasing WCW

 

Vince McMahon is a larger than life character who has had more than his fair share of dramas. There have been on and off talks of Vince movies for years, but in reality it is something that will likely have to wait until after he passes if it is to tackle the big events without fear. The only issue would be finding somebody who could play Vince well enough.

 

I would see this film covering:

·         The creation of the WWF

·         The rise of Hulkamania

·         Creating Wrestlemania

·         The Jimmy Snuka Murder Incident

·         The Steroid Trials

·         The Montreal Screwjob

·         Buying WCW and ECW

[chasmmi]

9. Oliver Cromwell

Biopic – From just before English Civil War (or maybe after) until Death.

 

In 2002, the BBC did a national poll for the top 100 Britons of all time. This pustular boil of a human being came 10^th. Cromwell was a monster who is championed for trying to form a republic by people who must conveniently forget his genocidal leanings in Ireland. I think dark biopic that leans into this side of him would be fascinating to watch.

[chasmmi]

8. The Emu War

An exaggerated farcical comedy, that leans in on its ‘no, this seriously did happen’ hook.

 

The Emu war is the one time in history that a national army lost a war against birds. Albeit one of the craziest mofo of a bird species out there. This is a bit of a left field silly entry, but I think there is some real scope for a good film in this. Even if things need to be embellished a bit to make it work.  

[chasmmi]

7. Khymr Rouge

Something similar to a Schindler’s List but in Cambodia.

 

Pol Pot may actually win the crown of most evil world leader in history (although there is sadly a lot of fierce competition out there over the centuries). It is also a reign that people maybe have a passing knowledge of (have seen the photos of the skull mountains etc.), but it doesn’t have anywhere near the exposure of more well-known sustained atrocities. The right director could put together something incredible with this setting.

[chasmmi]

6. Brian Blessed

Biopic of his attempts to conquer Everest and the Poles.  

(Possibly starring Jack Black)

 

Brian Blessed is an extraordinary human being. His life story is insane and the things he has achieved put most people to shame. It would be a fascinating tale to put to the big screen: The story of the stage actor and Flash Gordon Villain who conquered the poles and attempted to scale Everest three times without using Oxygen. He also became a trained Cosmonaut in his 80s. I think a film framed by his multiple attempts to conquer Everest and failing could be great, and if Black has the dramatic performance in him, he could be a surprisingly great choice for the role.

[4815162342]

7 minutes ago, chasmmi said:

7. Khymr Rouge

Something similar to a Schindler’s List but in Cambodia.

 

Pol Pot may actually win the crown of most evil world leader in history (although there is sadly a lot of fierce competition out there over the centuries). It is also a reign that people maybe have a passing knowledge of (have seen the photos of the skull mountains etc.), but it doesn’t have anywhere near the exposure of more well-known sustained atrocities. The right director could put together something incredible with this setting.

 

Doesn't The Killing Fields kinda cover this?

[chasmmi]

5 minutes ago, 4815162342 said:

 

Doesn't The Killing Fields kinda cover this?

 

Yeah, I did think of that when thinking about whether to include it. I ultimately decided that I wanted to keep it on the list as there are other ways to tell the story, I don;t think 2 film every 35 years is overkill. 

[chasmmi]

5. Hannibal

I just want to see CGI elephants charging over mountains.

 

It really is that simple. Hannibal crossing the Alps and charging at a disbelieving Roman army, is the battle scene I want to see right now. It has everything.

[chasmmi]

4. Spanish Armada

A Dirty Pirate is made an Admiral and saves a nation.

 

The Spanish Armada was the largest fleet ever assembled at the time, and with a weak and feeble woman in charge of Britain, surely it was only a matter of time until King Philip I was the countries rightful leader?

As it turned out, Liz was not really all that feeble, and in Francis Drake she had a marine leader who could pull off miracles against the odds.

If anybody out there has seen Roaring Currents, basically I want that but set in England.

[chasmmi]

3. … Roald Dahl WW2

A Biopic of his life during WW2 as a spy sent to fuck secret information out of the wives of American high society.

 

Before he became Roald Dahl: Children’s author. Dahl was in the British Airforce during WW2. Sadly he crashed on pretty much his first mission and suffered head injuries that rendered him unable to fly. However, as he was a very charming and good looking Norwegian man, he was tasked with becoming a British spy in America.

 

His job was to essentially drink and party with the people in the power circles. Try to gather intel when he could and attempt to nudge the US attitudes towards entering the war if possible. Dahl did such a good job that he was commissioned to write a book by Walt Disney that could be turned into a feature animation (called Gremlins, but its subject matter got it cancelled), spent one Christmas with the princess of Norway and President Eisenhower, and had numerous affairs with women in high places. It would almost be like a reimagining of Catch Me if you Can.

[chasmmi]

2. … Korean War: Battle of the Imjin River

War Film about heroic defeat.

 

The Korean War is... not a forgotten war, but a war sandwiched between the much more well-documented WW2 and Vietnam war. The fact is, this war was 3 years of absolute hell and the first half was not a good time to be on the South’s Side. The North tactics at times boiled down to, ‘just keep sending thousands of men running at the guns until somebody breaks the line’ and it resulted in the South getting pushed further and further back until it looked like the whole peninsula could be lost. A big reason for this was a string of last stands on a number of hills and other positions where, UN forces refused to buckle for as long as they could and thus managed to give the South time to form new lines of defense and ultimately save the war. A lot of people lost their lives in unwinnable battles so that idiots like me can sit in Seoul apartment and type about how it would be cool to watch that noble sacrifice reenacted on the big screen.

[chasmmi]

1.   … The Sabotage of Vemork Hydroelectric Plant

An insane covert operation that quite possibly stopped the Germans beating America to the Atom Bomb.

 

Vermork Hydroelectric Plant in Norway was central to Germany’s heavy water production efforts and was a heavily guarded impenetrable fortress on the side of a cliff in the middle of frozen wasteland. Air-raids were next to useless against it and so the only way to do any damage would be to somehow magic people inside the plant itself carrying bombs.

 

So that is what was done. A couple of crazy Scottish people trained a crack troop of Norwegian commandoes in survival and guerilla techniques. Then they were parachuted into the middle of nowhere, where they then had to ski to the plant, climb a sheer rockface, and break in undetected.  Then all they had to do was plant a few bombs, parachute back down the cliff and ski back to a rendezvous point. Literally every part of that plan is impossible madness, yet they managed it, and in my humble opinion it sounds like one of the most incredible feats that could ever be put to film (I also know it sort of has been before), but I want the full $300M budget, mega extravaganza.

[4815162342]

Great thread Chas.

 

 

I'll think of a list of my own and post it here as well, if that is alright.

[Plain Old Tele]

4 hours ago, chasmmi said:

1.   … The Sabotage of Vemork Hydroelectric Plant

An insane covert operation that quite possibly stopped the Germans beating America to the Atom Bomb.

 

Vermork Hydroelectric Plant in Norway was central to Germany’s heavy water production efforts and was a heavily guarded impenetrable fortress on the side of a cliff in the middle of frozen wasteland. Air-raids were next to useless against it and so the only way to do any damage would be to somehow magic people inside the plant itself carrying bombs.

 

So that is what was done. A couple of crazy Scottish people trained a crack troop of Norwegian commandoes in survival and guerilla techniques. Then they were parachuted into the middle of nowhere, where they then had to ski to the plant, climb a sheer rockface, and break in undetected.  Then all they had to do was plant a few bombs, parachute back down the cliff and ski back to a rendezvous point. Literally every part of that plan is impossible madness, yet they managed it, and in my humble opinion it sounds like one of the most incredible feats that could ever be put to film (I also know it sort of has been before), but I want the full $300M budget, mega extravaganza.

I’m actually obsessed about this, wrote a script about it, and at one point or another there were two(!) competing projects getting developed, one produced by Danny Boyle, the other by Michael Bay (!). I’m sure both are now dead in the water at this point, though.

[chasmmi]

58 minutes ago, Plain Old Tele said:

I’m actually obsessed about this, wrote a script about it, and at one point or another there were two(!) competing projects getting developed, one produced by Danny Boyle, the other by Michael Bay (!). I’m sure both are now dead in the water at this point, though.

There's a book called Winston Churchill's ministry of ungentlemanly warfare and this is a major chapter in it and it's excellent. 

 

A shame neither version got made.  I'd even take Bay if it was good Michael bay.