5 biopics bringing history to the big screen this fall
A feminist plays tennis with a misogynist, a vice-president takes over in the wake of the assassination of JFK, an inventor and an engineer battle to electrify the United States, a showman resorts to fakery to draw a crowd to his circus, and a father makes his son’s teddy bear a household name for decades to come. Sometimes real life stories are more dramatic than fiction: a fact that has not escaped the producers of these biopics to be released this fall.
Battle of the Sexes
The film featuring Emma Stone and Steve Carell tells the tale of a tennis match in which 55-year-old retired world champion Bobby Riggs squared off against Billie Jean King, who, at age 30, was at the peak of her brilliant career. In 1973, King accepted to play in a challenge match against the misogynist Riggs to advance the cause of gender equality, and in particular in the world of tennis.
By Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris
With Emma Stone and Steve Carell
Release date: September 22
Goodbye Christopher Robin
This feature tells of the relatioinship between British writer Alan Alexander Milne and his son Christopher Robin, whose teddy bear inspired the famous character Winnie-the-Pooh.
By Simon Curtis
With Margot Robbie and Domhall Gleeson
Relase date: October 13
LBJ
LBJ looks back on the life of Lyndon Johnson, the 36th president of the U.S., from his childhood in rural Texas to his accession to the White House in 1963, after the assassination of Joh F. Kennedy. To play the part of a man who rose to the highest office in the United States, director Rob Reiner chose Woody Harrelson, who is virtually unrecognizable in this role.
By Rob Reiner
With Woody Harrelson, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Bill Pullman
Release date: November 3
The Current War
This biopic tells the tale of the rivalry between inventor Thomas Edison and engineer George Westinghouse at the end of the 19th century. The two men, who fought to overtake each other in the field of electricity in the 1870s, will be played by Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon.
By Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
With Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Shannon, Tom Holland and Nicolas Hoult
Release: November 24 (limited)
The Greatest Showman
Hugh Jackman will play the leading role in this movie which tells the story of Phineas Taylor Barnum, who rose to fame when he founded Barnum’s circus in 1871. The showman and promoter left his mark on the world of circuses thanks to his gift for communication and publicity. With the goal of attracting larger and larger audiences to his big top, Barnum had no scruples about resorting to hoaxes and fakes.
By Michael Gracey
With Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron and Rebecca Ferguson
Release date: December 25. JB
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