Elizabeth Banks' newest film, Cocaine Bear, is inspired by the wild true story of an American black bear that ingested an entire duffel bag of cocaine. The story itself, of a bear dying of overdose after consuming 75 pounds worth of the narcotic, seems like an interesting tale to make the local paper, but Banks saw that it had enough basis for a feature.
So what other crazy and bizarre true stories could make for an interesting flick? The folks over at Reddit seemed to have a few ideas on some events that could be adapted into one zany movie.
Christopher Lee's Wartime Service
Famed Hammer Film's actor and known power-metal singer, Sir Christopher Lee has certainly had an interesting career in the entertainment industry, but he also is known for his military service in WWII. Sir Lee was no ordinary soldier with the RAF, but an intelligence liaison officer with the Special Operations Executive.
Lee's actions during the war could only be described as something ripped from an Ian Fleming novel. Truly, an international man of espionage, Lee helped the allies gather intelligence throughout the African and Italian campaigns. He would eventually retire from service in 1946, but not before being tasked with hunting Nazi war criminals to be prosecuted. Redditor foowop15 stated that his life from spy to Dracula actor as a "tv-miniseries would be amazing for audiences."
The Abduction Of Choi Eun-hee And Shin Sang-ok
South Korean Actress, Choi Eun-hee, and her then ex-husband film director, Shin Sang-ok, were considered to be two of the biggest names in the South Korean film industry. This fame would soon put them under the radar of known film enthusiast and despot, Kim Jong-Il.
In 1978, the two were abducted under orders from the future North Korean leader and were then forced to make films to help boost North Korea's film industry. Redditor OneManFreakShow brought up this wild tale as they saw it as a compelling narrative. A story about an entertainment power couple being forced by an authoritarian regime to make movies seems like the type of story audiences would have a hard time believing. But it did happen, as the couple was "forced to make propaganda films for eight years" before finally escaping to the U.S. embassy in Vienna.
Jeanne De Clisson's Voyage Of Revenge
One Redditor brought up the privateer career of one scorned widow during the 14th century along the English Channel and suggested that either "Tarantino or Park Chan-wook" be the one to direct it. Jeanne de Clisson was a French noble whose husband was executed on suspicion of being a spy for the British.
Swearing vengeance upon the French crown, she made a deal with the British royals to help her assemble a fleet and set sail to plunder any French vessels. For 13 years, the "Lioness of Brittany" wreaked havoc across the English Channel with her ships. Incredibly, those ships were all painted black with hoisted red sails upon their masts giving them a "black widow" aesthetic.
The Radioactive Boy Scout
While growing up in Commerce, Michigan, David Hahn developed an affinity for chemistry and nuclear physics. Hahn was a member of the Boy Scouts and would receive merit badges in accordance with his research into atomic energy. Secretly, though, in his very own constructed lab, David would create a neutron source in his backyard. Shortly after a clean-up of his house by the EPA, Hahn would eventually attain the rank of Eagle Scout.
David Hahn and his backyard experiments were brought up by various Redditors to be a perfect tale to be adapted into a movie one day. Although one Redditor felt that the story sounds like it has "zero conflict" for it to be adapted, unfortunately, the tale of David Hahn does end tragically. After the experiment made him famous, he went through various hardships that would lead him into a depressive state and to drug abuse that would ultimately cost him his life.
Texas Guinan: Queen Of The Nightclubs
When most people hear of the Prohibition era, they usually affiliate it with big names and properties, from Al Capone to The Great Gatsby. But for a decade, a single amendment created a landscape where many saw profit and venture through the contraband that was alcohol.
One such figure to see the value to be had during Prohibition was Waco native, famed actress, and entrepreneur, Texas Guinan. Utilizing her fame and talent, Guinan opened up a chain of speakeasies to cater to famous clients looking for some hooch. She was able to supply and provide for those looking to imbue in the nightlife once again. Time and time again, she would find her clubs being broken up by the cops, only to reopen shop right away. Redditor AnticitizenPrime, when discussing the Queen of The Nightclubs, made the extraordinary connection, "so probably not a coincidence that Whoopi Goldberg's bartender in Star Trek was named Guinan, then?"
The Night Witches Take Flight
"A story about the Night Witches would be cool," said Chronicdoodler on topics for potential films. The 588th Night Bomber Regiment was a unit of all-female piloted bombers. Nicknamed the "Night Witches" by the Nazis on the Eastern Front of World War II, this unit would conduct bombing raids on Nazi encampments.
The aircraft used were essentially bi-planes from the previous World War, but what appeared to be a hindrance of technology worked in their favor. The pilots would fly at low altitudes and set their engines idle, allowing the aircraft to glide with the wind. The sound their aircraft made while in neutral is what would earn them their monikers, as the Nazis likened it to flying broomsticks.
Évariste Galois
In the world of mathematics, there is a theorem that converts field theory problems into group theory (known as the Galois theory), rendering them easier to understand. Discovered in the early 19th century, this feat of mathematics alone is astonishing, but the one to discover it led a far more interesting life.
Évariste Galois was a young mathematical genius and staunch supporter of the French Revolution of 1830. In post-Napoleonic France, the nation saw itself reinstating the Bourbon monarchy, and thus several protests spread across the country eventually resulting in open rebellion. In support of the revolution, his strong beliefs would find him on the wrong end of a duel, killing him from the wounds he received. One Redditor described how the movie of his life could play out as "an extremely melodramatic, over-the-top version of Good Will Hunting set in revolutionary France."
The Great Armored Train Robbery
The Czech Legion was a volunteer force of mostly Czechoslovakians and other ethnicities seeking self-determination of their nations away from the Austrian Empire during World War I. Together, this unit would assist in not only fighting off the Central Powers but also the Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War.
Their encounters with the Bolsheviks is why czarnick123 brought them up, as this legion would find themselves taking control of the "entire Trans-Siberian Railroad" to get back home. Stuck in the Far East of Russia, the legionnaire would capture stations as well as armored military trains and use them to fight their way across Russia to get back to their homeland.
Syd Barrett
Syd Barret was once the original frontman for the hit psychedelic rock band, Pink Floyd. Unfortunately, his excessive consumption of psychedelics and LSD would make him regress, mentally. His personality saw an entire 180 shift from jovial to withdrawn and isolated.
Redditor epic_banana_soup suggested his life could have potential as a biopic for being one of the founding members of one of the biggest bands of all time. "It's a tragic story that I think would work very well as a movie," said the Reddit user when recommending the tale.
The Ghost Army
One Redditor, in their suggestion for stories to be made into movies, brought up various misinformation operations utilized by Allied forces during World War II. Everything from "Operation Fortitude" to the "Ghost Army" would be a great basis for a "decent comedy," according to them.
These apt operations were used by Allied forces to distract German defenses away from their intended targets in the upcoming large-scale invasion of Normandy. The Ghost Army unit was an 1100-man force that would "impersonate" other units, using various methods of deception including audio mediums, paintings, and inflatable dummies to fool the enemy away from the operation.