With David Fincher’s latest critical darling man increasingly well-known after receiving several Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, it makes sense to travel through the dense and fascinating history of the screenwriting profession to spotlight other screenwriters who deserve their stories to be told in large filter.
The innovative way man intertwined with Citizen Kane has once again proven the enormous potential of the film medium to bring the world of the film writer to life in new and interesting ways. That being said, here are the ten screenwriters who we think are the most prepared for their own biopic.
ten Chloe Zhao
The most recent and promising writer to appear here is the recent winner for Best Director, Chloe Zhao. While Zhao’s victory heralds only good things for Hollywood’s recognition of women and POC filmmakers, it is also an incredible boon for what will sure be a long and successful career for the filmmaker. Recognized primarily for his directing work on Nomadic country, Zhao’s accomplishments as a screenwriter are equally impressive. Their nuanced and wise writing beyond their years is indicative of the long-awaited changes in modern Hollywood that are finally starting to take root, the inspiring story is being written.
9 John Hugues
One can easily imagine that a film based on the stratospheric career of writer John Hughes between 1980 and 1989 would be hugely popular with the crowd. Hughes basically created his own brand of films featuring a similar cast of cast members, general coming-of-age themes, and a healthy dose of adult humor in most cases.
A film about the man behind The breakfast club, Ferris Bueller’s day off, Alone at home, and plenty of other iconic films could be both fun and bittersweet, as Hughes led a semi-tragic life before sadly passing away at a young age.
8 The Wachowski
A potential biopic on The Wachowskis could be either a broad look at their work, the various extreme ups and downs the siblings have faced both professionally and personally during their admittedly random careers as writers / directors. , or the film could strictly follow them as they created one of the most groundbreaking films in the format’s history with The matrix. The film was such a bet at the time, but such an organic blockbuster and an evolving next step in the action film genre, the story of its creation is worthy of its own movie.
7 Franck Darabont
The story that a Frank Darabont biopic could follow is the incredibly inspiring story of how he directed his own screenplay for his first feature film. This movie was going to be Shawshank’s Redemption, widely regarded as one of the best films ever to be made. Darabont adapted a short film from a Stephen King story, which led to an unofficial deal and a long-standing friendship between the young filmmaker and the novelist. Darabont’s success is every screenwriter’s dream, a mix of a big project and a little luck.
6 Shonda rhime
Shonda Rhimes is perhaps most well known and invaluable in the television landscape. That being said, she’s a powerful writer / creator and bona fide leader of a small screen empire.
With hits like Scandal, How to get away with a murder, and of course Grey’s Anatomy under his “Shondaverse” umbrella, Rhimes is one of the great kahunas in the land of television writing. A story of its success would trace the evolution of modern television and some of its most progressive achievements.
5 Mel brooks
One of the ultimate kings of the comedy genre, Mel Brooks has been around for what seems like an eternity. A master of parody and slapstick, Brooks has gone on to achieve a sort of reverence rare in the film world that very few achieve, let alone in their lifetimes. Brooks has had such a rich and well-documented life in show business that it’s surprising a movie about him hasn’t been made yet. By combining the good lead performance with a script imbued with his signature humor style, a Brooks biopic could be a huge success.
4 Laurent Kasdan
One need only take a brief glimpse of Kasdan’s filmography to see what earns him his place on the list; really it all comes down to one iconic line: “No. I follow your father! ”Kasdan was the screenwriter behind The Empire Strikes Back and several of the following sequels in the main series.
However, a film purely about creating one of the best twists and best movie blockbusters of all time would be an amazing snapshot of history in the making. The story behind the masterpiece is almost as compelling as what happens on screen. Almost.
3 Nora Ephron
The late great Nora Ephron is an undeniable icon of modern screenwriting. Ephron has been nominated three times for her work as a screenwriter, most notably for the Gold Standard in rom-com When Harry meets Sally ... Ephron had a distinctive humorous side to her films that led them above the pack in almost every case, especially midway through her career when she also started directing. A brilliant writer whose history as a pioneer, not only in Hollywood but also in the world of journalism, would be incredible fodder for a biopic.
2 Charlie kaufman
If it is true that Adaptation is technically a kind of autobiography, it’s far from being a true biopic. Kaufman is not only one of the most imaginative and acclaimed screenwriters on this side of Aaron Sorkin, but he’s also one of the most mysterious minds in cinema. The creator of infinitely captivating and innovative scenarios such as Being John Malkovich, Anomalisa, and last year’s division opus I think to end things, Kaufman would be a perfect choice for a biopic that delves into the world of one of our most brilliant literary lunatics.
1 Troy duffy
A Troy Duffy movie would look a lot more like The artist of disaster than man, but what a movie that would be. It would be enough to watch the documentary Overnight see the obvious potential of a film about the disastrous rise and almost immediate downfall of Troy Duffy, a bartender who was fortunate enough to dream of writing and directing a major feature film (The Saints of Boondock), to waste all the opportunities he had with disturbing behavior and bad decisions. While the final movie wasn’t the worst thing, the journey to get there is a story a million times more ripe for a biopic.
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