Save this article to read it later.
Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.
She knew she wanted the project to be a true story.
And about a woman.
A woman of considerable accomplishment but not a historical figure.
A lot of the people that I would want to tell stories about have already had their story told.
Rowlinghas this hugeHarry Potterfan base behind her.
ThinkLawrence of ArabiaandGandhi,FridaandLady Sings the Blues,Malcolm XandThe Elephant Man.
But over the last few years, the lists founderFranklin Leonardhas observed a dramatic uptick in contemporaneous biopics.
There was one year when there were two Steven Spielberg scripts about the making ofJaws, Leonard says.
There was a script about Ruth Bader Ginsburg two or three years ago.
But the Trevor Noah, the Gucci Mane biopic, that seems like a new phenomenon.
The process of making a biopic to better understand a public figures role in pop culture has accelerated rapidly.
Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg has said he found his portrayal in director David Finchers 2010 Best Picture nomineeThe Social Networkhurtful.
Modern audiences are used to knowing everything about their favorite celebrities, Yardum explains.
Everything is so accessible through social media and modern publicity outlets.
Its a logical next step to want to go even deeper.
Looking atI, Tonyafor a moment, that movie showed a different side to her life.
Noahs comedicBorn a Crimewill depict his hardscrabble upbringing in postapartheid South Africa.
Trevor, Gucci, and this ballerina, all three are black, the executive notes.
One, thats the industrys recognition of the power of the black box office.
But two, theres a history of black biopics that are only about slavery and civil rights.
And I think the black community is tired of those.
It may just be that were out of ideas, he says.
