With films like "Bohemian Rhapsody" in 2018 and "Rocket Man" in 2019, we are in the midst of a truly great era for biographical films. But more than that, 2020 is going to be a great year for films based on true stories, from biopics to fantasy films inspired by true stories. Regardless of genre, these films prove that truth is often much, much stranger than fiction.

From a film about a French mime who saved thousands of orphans from the Nazis during World War II to biopics about legendary musicians like Aretha Franklin and David Bowie, here are the best movies based on true stories coming out in 2020.

This war drama tells the true story of Vietnam War hero William H. Pitzenberger (played by Jeremy Irvine in the film). The film takes place in flashback 32 years after Pitzenberger's heroic actions in Vietnam. A Pentagon official (played by Sebastian Stan as Winter Solider) seeks testimony from those close to the veteran in response to a request from his best friend and his parents to award Pitzenberger the Medal of Honor. The cast also includes William Hurt, Christopher Plummer, Diane Ladd, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Fonda, and Ed Harris.

"Barden" tells the story of Mike Barden (Garrett Hedlund), an orphan raised in the Ku Klux Klan who tries to leave to build a better life with the girl he loves. When the Ku Klux Klan seeks revenge on Mike, his girlfriend, and her young son, the congregation of a black Baptist church led by Pastor Kennedy (Forest Whitaker) agrees to defend them.Burden premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and and won the National Dramatic Audience Award, and will finally be released in theaters this year.

"Riverdale" fans will be lining up for "I Still Believe," in which Archie Andrews himself, KJ Apa, plays real-life singer-songwriter Jeremy Camp. Based on Camp's memoir of the same name (opens in new tab), the film is about his romance with his first wife, Melissa Lynn Henning-Camp (played by Britt Robertson), who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer just before they married and passed away 4 1/2 months after walking down the aisle. Gary Sinise, Shania Twain, and Melissa Roxburgh also star in this Christian faith drama.

Jesse Eisenberg stars in this drama about Marcel Marceau, a French actor known for his pantomime of Bip the Clown. Before becoming famous as a performer, Marceau joined the French Resistance and saved thousands of orphans from the Nazis.

The biopic about Brazilian-born UN diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello will premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 28, 2020, and is set for distribution by Netflix, with a streaming platform release scheduled for April. The film stars Wagner Moura, the star of "Narcos," and tells the story of the efforts made to save the life of Vieira de Mello, who was buried under the rubble following the 2003 attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq.

In 2018, the story of Freddie Mercury and Queen hit the big screen in Bohemian Rhapsody; in 2019, Elton John's life was chronicled in the gorgeous and surreal Rocket Man; in 2020, rock legend the late David Bowie's life story comes to the screen in Stardust. The film will focus primarily on Bowie's first visit to the United States in 1971 and the birth of his alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, after that trip.

Johnny Flynn stars as Bowie, with Jenna Malone, Marc Maron, Aaron Poole, Roanna Kochan, Jorja Cadence, Annie Briggs, and Ryan Blakely in supporting roles.

Yes, "The One and Only Ivan" is a children's fantasy drama film featuring many wild and exotic animals, voiced by some of the biggest A-list talent in Hollywood today. Yes, the film is about Ivan the gorilla, who lives in a cage in a shopping mall and video arcade, and how he and his friends Stella the elephant and Bob the dog devise an escape plan, escape and learn about their past. Yes, this film is also strictly speaking inspired by a true story.

The film and the children's novel of the same name on which it is based are entirely fictional, but both are inspired by the true story of Ivan the gorilla, who was in a similar situation for 27 years until the Atlanta Zoo took him in 1994. Sam Rockwell voices Ivan, and the cast includes living legends (and future legends) Angelina Jolie, Bryan Cranston, Danny DeVito, Helen Mirren, Ramon Rodriguez, Brooklyn Prince, and the lovely Ariana Greenblatt

The screenplay is a collection of short stories about the life of the film.

After a troubled pre-production life, including a temporary halt in 2018 due to the production of writer/director Aaron Sorkin's Broadway adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird, the film will finally be It is expected to be released in theaters. The Trial of the Chicago Seven depicts the infamous 1969 trial of seven defendants involved in anti-Vietnam War and countercultural protests in Chicago during the 1968 Democratic National Convention, who were charged by the federal government with conspiracy and other crimes.

Sacha Baron Cohen, Eddie Redmayne, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Jeremy Strong, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Alex Sharp, Thomas Middleditch, Frank Langella, William Hurt, Michael Keaton and Mark Rylance, among others.

Jennifer Hudson stars in this highly anticipated Aretha Franklin biopic, in which Franklin was personally involved until her death in August 2018. Filming will be completed in February 2020 and features a stellar cast of talented actors including Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Mary J. Blige, Tate Donovan, and Titus Burgess.

The biopic, starring Will Smith, tells the story of Richard Williams, father and coach of tennis greats Venus Williams and Serena Williams, who raised his daughters to become the legends they are today despite their lack of sports experience. The story will be told by. John Bernal, Anjanu Ellis, Saniya Sidney, and Demi Singleton also star.

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