A biographical film, or biopic, attempts to document the life of a real person or organization on film. Some examples of famous biopics include Schindler’s List (for Oskar Schindler), A Beautiful Mind (for John Nash) and Selma (for the American civil rights movement, including Martin Luther King, Jr). Who are some examples of people, living or dead, that would make good biopic material? What is it about them that suits the biopic format? If a biopic were to be made of them, what details would need to be included?
I think is inevitable that there will be many Barack Obama biopics made in the future. Some film have already began to portray him over the past 5 years or so and with his publishing output (new book selling tremendously well) I think he will be featured in a host of biopic projects. – Sean Gadus3 years ago
I think that this could be quite interesting. I think an angle that is important for this would be perhaps exploring when criteria is needed in order to determine the subject of a biopic! – RheaRG3 years ago
My choice would be someone like Jadav Payeng, an Indian man who has spent the last 30 years plus planting a forest in what was once a barren tract of land. His single-handed, selfless work has created a new ecosystem and yet few have ever heard of him. – Amyus3 years ago
I would advise that it be an under appreciated figure that nonetheless made large historical contributions in his time. – J.D. Jankowski3 years ago
Bass Reeves would be an excellent choice as a subject for a biopic. He was a lawman in the Old West who possessed unfailing honesty, a deep sense of justice, and dogged determination to get the bad guy. He once even served a murder warrant on his own son. He was one of the few black lawmen serving in the Wild West, and earned near universal respect among his peers. Many historians believe he is the inspiration for the legendary fictional character The Lone Ranger. – NatDog553 years ago
I agree with J.D. I see the future of biopics not in 'famous' people who led incredible lives, but 'average' people who greatly affected history. In our age of information it's rather easy to find info on famous people and we are constantly bombarded with celebrity culture. Perhaps we'll turn to the aforementioned biopics as an escape from this aspect of media. – Landon3 years ago
I think a good subject for a biopic would be a figure that has been erased from our history books yet whose life would serve to represent those who are marginalized still today. Figures from queer history would be very important to see, as well as women who were not respected in their eras. The most famous biopics that you have listed are films that feature men, and while they are excellent biopics, I know there have to be queer/female figures from the past who equally as deserving of the big screen. For example, Madame Lulu White, who rose to riches as a brothel madame in the early 1900s, would be an incredibly fascinating figure to explore in terms of her controversy, eccentricity, and rarity. – aspentaylor3 years ago
Considering the recent trend of musical biopics, I feel Fleetwood Mac would make an interesting biopic. The band is iconic and left such a lasting impression on music. Plus there is so much to explore. For example the relationship between Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham alone could make for a stand-alone film. – Dina3 years ago
I agree with J.D. and Landon that future biopics should not be famous people who did great things, but the problem is in the current trend biopics tend to be Hollywood-centric, i.e.: it belongs to mainstream cinema. Therefore it is foreseeable that the next biopic will continue to be some famous people in the entertainment industry. If I have to come up with a possible choice, it could be Madonna (https://ew.com/movies/madonna-biopic-diablo-cody-movie-screenplay/) – KM3 years ago