11 True Stories Begging for an Adaptation
0Every summer as theaters are bombarded with larger-than-life superheroes and remakes, there is always an outcry for more “original” concepts and stories of real-life people. Non-fiction works are great to scour for new ideas and we’ve found some of the best! From eccentric inventors to forgotten history to hippos, here are 11 pieces ready and waiting for an adaptation for the big or small screen.
“The Hunting of Billie Holiday” by Johann Hari
Many know the music of the infamous Billie Holiday and her beautiful voice that brought her success. She is, unfortunately, equally known for her addictions and arrest by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. What is less known, is how Holiday was specifically targeted by the Bureau, following her performance of “Strange Fruit,” a song against lynching. What began as an artist using her right of free speech put her on the radar of one of the Bureau’s most powerful men.
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
Biopics have always made for great film and television projects, and the story of the Wright Brothers is one that has remained, surprisingly, untapped. Pulitzer Prize-winning Truman and John Adams author David McCullough has set his focus on the infamous duo in his latest biography The Wright Brothers. The book hit stands in May 2016.
“The Rise and Fall of the Bombshell Bandit” by Jeff Maysh
For two months, an unusual bank robber captivated the US. She was a woman, she was short, young and well-dressed, and she held up a string of banks in quick succession. It’s a potentially diverse cast with a female at the forefront of a story that comments on religion and gender roles, all contained in a heist story.
“Jeff Henry, Verruckt, and the Men Who Built the Great American Water Park” by Bryan Curtis
There is an intense competition happening behind closed doors that few know about, and the leader of the pack is being compared to Steve Jobs. What is this world? Water slides. And Jeff Henry is the eccentric inventor, defying expectations with his designs, at the center of it all.
“A Woman in Uniform” by Anonymous NYPD Officer
It’s beginning to feel as though there’s a new, terrible story of an officer abusing their role every week in the media. It’s kickstarted a debate over police reform, systematic racism, and, of course, “Black Lives Matter” vs. “Blue Lives Matter”. Last year, a female officer wrote about her own experience within the system, providing a perspective that is little-seen in the media’s coverage of events.
“American Hippopotamus” by John Mooallem
This is a story about hippopotamuses, but it’s also a story about two very complicated and exceptional men. These men were spies and bitter enemies. Each wanted to kill the other and fully expected to feel really good about himself afterward. Eccentric circumstances—circumstances having to do with hippopotamuses—would join these men together as allies and even dear friends. It’s a classic period drama centering around two very complex characters.
“The CEO Paying Everyone $70,000 Salaries Has Something to Hide” by Karen Weise
When Dan Price said he was going to double the salaries of his lowest paid employees at Gravity, it seemed as though he was a symbol of how businesses could change for the better. Price sold the business decision to the public, and wound up profiting from it. This piece takes a look at what Price was telling the public vs. all the personal gains he made by selling his “sacrifice”. This piece is begging for a Social Network feature take.
“How I Helped Todd Akin Win – So I Could Beat Him Later” by Claire McCaskill
Political satires in the feature world have been hard sells to the public in recent memory, but have found success on television with series like Veep. More politics-centric series are in the works, commenting on the current White House, but another true story on a smaller scale appears ripe for either a direct or satirical take. Senator Claire McCaskill poured more money into her opponent’s election campaign than he did because she knew she could take him down in the final battle. It’s smart, topical, and great fodder for a story on the big or small screen.
Tom Catena is the only surgeon for thousands of square miles in Southern Sudan. This is a prime, dramatic role for an actor as Catena’s hospital and life are constantly under threat. The war in the area has existed for decades and doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon, yet he refuses to leave.
“Losing Sparta” by Esther Kaplan
Lisa Norris runs a consulting firm dedicated to helping manufacturing plants implement lean production principles and union avoidance, in an effort to save jobs in central Tennessee. In 2008, she took a massive pay cut to join a veteran operations manager to oversee a plant near Sparta that had just been acquired by Philips. Two years later, after major successes, an unknown executive walked in and announced the plant was shutting down. For those looking for a project that taps into the Middle American population that feels overlooked by Hollywood, this may be the perfect project to do just that.
“My Great Great Grandfather and an American Indian Tragedy” by Michael Allen
Much of American Indian history remains untaught in the US, but slowly more attention is coming following the events at Standing Rock. It’s a vast history that will take decades to bring to the light that it deserves. This piece is a strong start, however, as it tells the story of the heartbreaking Sand Creek Massacre in 1864. A story overwhelmed in history by the events of the Civil War happening to the east.
Emily J | TV Editor