Screenwriting : How Screenwriters Faced the Challenges of Adapting a Living Person’s Life for the Big Screen by Amanda Toney

Thanks for sharing the article, Amanda Toney. I haven't written a biopic yet. This article will come in handy. And I might even write a biopic/narrative film mix.

I adapted a biography this year. The shoot just wrapped. The V.O to death comment is very true. They key part is finding the thematic thread within it all.

Congratulations, CJ Walley!

"Adapting real-life stories always seems like such a huge challenge. Is there any approach you recommend to stay true to the person’s essence without leaning too much into over-dramatization?"

This issue you're going to have is the subject person's own vision and demands. In the article linked, it talks about how Kristen had to convince the IP owner not to sell the story short and do something typically hokey. Not everyone is going to listen to that.

The big issues you have with anything fact based is that the facts may not be that interesting but people insist on sticking to them, and then there's another person with a different POV and a different set of facts wanting it their way. I made a Civil War last year and every expert historian seemed to disagree with one another.

The sky's the limit when it comes to dramatisation, as few viewers are going to look up what really happened. I re-watched American Made the other week. Love that film. Then I looked up the true story it's based on and to say the filmmakers were liberal would be an understatement to say the least.

Ultimately, you have to know how accuracy is going to impact sales. It might be a huge boost with those who know the details of the story already, or it might be a shot in the foot if it bores most of the marketplace. It all comes back to strategy.