There are numerous superhero blockbusters and big-budget comedies coming out in 2017, but hidden among them are a handful of films based on biopics and real life events.
Life is complex and exciting. For years, Hollywood has turned to true stories and events that actually happened for inspiration. While we can expect for more true story movies to come up in the coming months, we’ve compiled a list of 10 movies that will probably tug at your heartstrings when it opens in theatres this year.
1. “Patriots Day”
- Release Date: Currently showing in local cinemas
- Movie Cast: Mark Wahlberg, John Goodman, Kevin Bacon, J.K. Simmons, and Michelle Monaghan
In the aftermath of an unspeakable attack, Police Sergeant Tommy Saunders (played by Mark Wahlberg) joins courageous survivors, first responders, and investigators in a race against the clock to hunt down the bombers before they strike again. Weaving together the stories of Special Agent Richard DesLauriers (played by Kevin Bacon), Police Commissioner Ed Davis (played by John Goodman), Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese (played by J.K. Simmons) and nurse Carol Saunders (played by Michelle Monaghan), this visceral and unflinching chronicle captures the suspense of one of the most sophisticated manhunts in law enforcement history and celebrates the strength of the people of Boston.
2. “Hacksaw Ridge”
- Release Date: 9th February 2017
- Movie Cast: Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Luke Bracey, Teresa Palmer, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Griffiths, and Vince Vaughn
“Hacksaw Ridge” is the extraordinary true story of conscientious collaborator Desmond Doss (played Andrew Garfield) who, in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of WWII, saved 75 men without firing or carrying a gun. He believed the war was just, but killing was nevertheless wrong; he was the only American soldier in WWII to fight on the front lines without a weapon. As an army medic, Doss single-handedly evacuated the wounded from behind enemy lines, braved fire while tending to soldiers and was wounded by a grenade and hit by snipers. He was the first conscientious objector to ever earn the Congressional Medal of Honour.
3. “A United Kingdom”
- Release Date: 10th February 2017
- Movie Cast: Rosamund Pike, David Oyelowo, Tom Felton, Charlotte Hope, Laura Carmichael, Jack Davenport, and Nicholas Lyndhurst
Based on the romance between Sir Seretse Goitsebeng Maphiri Khama and Ruth Williams, “A United Kingdom” is an upcoming British biopic that is directed by “Belle” helmer Amma Asante. Set in London in the 40s, Seretse Khama, the King of Botswana, met Ruth Williams, a London office worker. They were perfect for each other, but interracial was not up to social standards. Their proposed marriage was challenged not only by their families but by the British and South African governments. Despite the challenges that they faced, Seretse and Ruth never wavered – they fought for their love every step of the way and in so doing changed their nation and inspired the world.
4. “Hidden Figures”
- Release Date: 23rd February 2017
- Movie Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, Jim Parsons, Mahershala Ali, Aldis Hodge, and Glen Powell
“Hidden Figures” is the incredible untold story of Katherine G. Johnson (played by Taraji Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (played by Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (played by Janelle Monáe) — brilliant African-American women working at Nasa, who served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in history: The launch of astronaut John Glenn (played by Glen Powell) into orbit, a stunning achievement that restored the nation’s confidence, turned around the Space Race and galvanised the world. The visionary trio crossed all gender and race lines to inspire generations to dream big.
5. “The Zookeeper’s Wife”
- Release Date: 31st March 2017
- Movie Cast: Jessica Chastain, Johan Heldenbergh, Daniel Brühl, Michael McElhatton, Iddo Goldberg, Goran Kostic, and Shira Haas
Based on Diane Ackerman’s 2007 nonfiction book of the same name, “The Zookeeper’s Wife” follows Antonina and Jan Zabinski’s real-life efforts in persevering the Warsaw Zoo and the ailing animals in their villa after their city was bombed during the Holocaust when the Germans invaded Poland.
6. “The Lost City of Z”
- Release Date: 14th April 2017
- Movie Cast: Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, Tom Holland, Angus MacFadyen, Edward Ashley, Clive Francis, Ian McDiarmid, Franco Nero
Based on author David Grann’s non-fiction bestseller, “The Lost City of Z” tells the incredible true story of British explorer Percy Fawcett, who journeys into the Amazon at the dawn of the 20th century and discovers evidence of a previously unknown, advanced civilisation that may have once inhabited the region. Despite being ridiculed by the scientific establishment who regard indigenous populations as “savages”, the determined Fawcett – supported by his devoted wife (played by Sienna Miller), son (played by Tom Holland), and aide de camp (played by Robert Pattinson) – returns time and again to his beloved jungle in an attempt to prove his case, culminating in his mysterious disappearance in 1925.
7. “Dunkirk”
- Release Date: 21st July 2017
- Movie Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, Fionn Whitehead, Aneurin Barnard, Harry Styles, James D’Arcy, Jack Lowden, Barry Keoghan, Tom Glynn-Carney, Mark Rylance, and Tom Hardy
Set during World War II, Christopher Nolan’s epic action thriller revolves around the Dunkirk evacuation (also known as Operation Dynamo), a historical event that saw the evacuation of 400,000 Allied soldiers from the British Empire, Belgium, and France from the beaches of Dunkirk, France between 26th May and 4th June 1940.
8. “Only The Brave”
- Release Date: 20th October 2017
- Movie Cast: Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, Jennifer Connelly, Jeff Bridges, Taylor Kitsch, and James Badge Dale
This Joseph Kosinski-directed drama tells the story of brave firefighters who battled the Yarnell Hill Fire and lost their lives after a wildfire broke out in Prescott, Arizona in June 2013. “This movie’s not about tragedy. This movie is about the lives of these people and what they were trying to put on the line, and what it meant to them to do what they were doing and what it meant to the community to have them doing it,” said producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura.
9. “Darkest Hour”
- Release Date: 24th November 2017
- Movie Cast: Gary Oldman, Stephen Dillane, John Hurt, Lily James, Ben Mendelsohn, and Kristin Scott Thomas
Within days of becoming Prime Minister of Great Britain, Winston Churchill must face one of his most turbulent and defining trials: exploring a negotiated peace treaty with Nazi Germany or standing firm to fight for the ideals, liberty, and freedom of a nation. As the unstoppable Nazi forces roll across Western Europe and the threat of invasion is imminent, and with an unprepared public, a skeptical King and his own party plotting against him, Churchill must withstand his darkest hour, rally a nation, and attempt to change the course of world history.
10. “The Greatest Showman”
- Release Date: 25th December 2017
- Movie Cast: Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya
Hugh Jackman will be playing the legendary showman P.T. Barnum in this biographical musical drama, which details his creative and unusual business tactics that led him to create the famous traveling Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Aside from his 3-ring circus, the musical will focus on his infatuation with opera star Jenny Lind, who was famously known as the “Swedish Nightingale”.
Which movies are you looking forward to watching the most? Let us know in the comments below.
Sources: Pop Sugar, Cheat Sheet, AZ Central.
