Welcome to this month’s round-up of some fact-based films and TV shows heading to cinemas or streaming platforms, as well as a selection of projects in the works…

In cinemas / streaming:

> Landing in US cinemas in August, Girl You Know It’s True tells of notorious 1980s pop duo Milli Vanilli. The pair achieved huge chart success but suffered a fall from grace when it was revealed they never actually sang any of their songs. Take a look at the trailer:

> Due for a release on 30 August is presidential biopic Reagan, starring Dennis Quaid and Penelope Ann Miller as Ron and Nancy. The film spans its subject’s life, from his humble small-town beginnings to the White House.

> Coming to UK cinemas this month, following July’s limited US release, Widow Clicquot tells of the family behind the famous Veuve Clicquot champagne brand, which launched back in 1772.

> Also due for an August release in the US is Samuel Beckett biography Dance First, starring Gabriel Byrne and Fionn O’Shea, who portray the Irish writer during different stages of his colourful life. Take a look at the trailer:

> After showings on the film festival circuit, Rob Peace gets a US release. Based on Jeff Hobbs’ New York Times bestseller, it tells of a young man whose promising future is jeopardised by his imprisoned father.

> The Long Game is now streaming on Netflix. Set in the 1950s, it tells of five young Mexican-American caddies who created their own golf course in the Texas desert.

Coming soon:

> Due for a December 2024 release is James Mangold’s much-anticipated Bob Dylan biopic. A Complete Unknown is based on Elijah Wald’s 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric!, which tells of the folk singer-songwriter’s scandalous use of the electric guitar at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. The film stars Timothée Chalamet as Dylan. As well as looking the part, Chalamet is already getting kudos for doing his own singing. Take a look at the teaser trailer:

In the works:

> A biopic is on the way of 1980s soft rockers Air Supply, with a release due for 2025 to tie in with the band’s 50th anniversary. Source: Deadline

> Brendan Fraser will portray Dwight D. Eisenhower in Pressure, which tells of the D-Day landings, joining Andrew Scott, who stars as James Stagg, the meteorologist who had a pivotal role in advising the president on whether the Normandy invasion should go ahead. Source: Deadline

> A film based on the documentary The Lost Leonardo is in the works, with Julianne Moore to star as art restorer Dianne Modestini, who brought Leonardo Da Vinci’s Salvador Mundi back to life. Source: Deadline

> A biopic of Britney Spears, based on her memoir The Woman in Me, is at the early stages. Source: Variety

> A film adaptation is on the way of Sanford “Sandy” D. Greenberg’s inspirational memoir, Hello Darkness My Old Friend: How Daring Dreams and Unyielding Friendship Turned One Man’s Blindness Into an Extraordinary Vision for Life, which tell of how Greenberg’s friendship with Art Garfunkel helped him overcome his sight loss. Source: Deadline

> Inspired by true events, Netflix drama The Waterfront will tell of a family’s struggle to keep hold of their North Carolina fishing empire. Source: Deadline

> An as-yet untitled dramatization is in the works of the experiences of four children, who, in 2023, survived a plane crash and spent 40 days in the Amazon Rainforest before being rescued. Source: Deadline

> Killing Of A Nation is a true-crime thriller set amid political unrest and crime in Haiti. Source: Deadline

In the news:

> Due to be held between 28 August and 7 September, this year’s Venice Film Festival features several notable fact-based offerings, including:

• Maria: Pablo Larraín’s Maria Callas biopic, staring Angelina Jolie.
• The Brutalist: About Hungarian-born Jewish architect László Tóth, who survived the Holocaust.
• I’m Still Here: The true story of Eunice Paiva, whose husband was captured by Brazil’s military regime in the 1960s. 
• Sicilian Letters: A non-conventional mob biopic of Cosa Nostra boss Matteo Messina Denaro.
• Diva Futura: About a 1980s Rome pornography outfit.

> The 2024 Emmy nominations included a smattering of fact-based interest, including for Hulu’s true-crime drama Under the Bridge; FX’s Feud: Capote vs. The Swans; and Nexflix’s Griselda, about Columbian drug queenpin Griselda Blanco. The awards will be handed out on 15 September.

> The Baby Reindeer nonsense / publicity goldmine rumbles on, with Netflix and series creator Richard Gadd now distancing themselves from the show’s proud on-screen declaration that it is a “true story”.