Types of fact-based script

Labels like ‘based on’, ‘inspired by’ aren’t just for show. They have implications for creative choices and for audience expectations. As writers, defining which type of fact-based story you’re telling also matters when it comes to the thorny problem of legal rights…

[This article is for writers – it’s not legal advice]

Based on a true story

Putting this on a script or in the opening credits suggests that what follows is the truth. Whether or not that’s the case, it raises expectations that this is the ‘true story’.

Often, films and TV shows based on a true story have credited (and copyrighted) source material, such as a non-fiction book or a magazine article. This is usually complemented by further research, such as interviews or historical records.

While ‘based on a true story’ is a great hook and a sales angle, this type of fact-based story may require legal rights to be secured. Even when there’s no defined source material, a life rights agreement may be needed.

Examples of fact-based films based on a true story:

  • Hidden Figures (2016): The story of three Black women who worked as NASA mathematicians at the height of the US space race is based on a non-fiction book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly.
  • First Man (2018): This biopic of astronaut Neil Armstrong is based on the 2005 non-fiction book First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen.
  • Oppenheimer (2023): This look at the life of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer is based on the 2005 biography American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin.

Writer takeaways

If you have exclusive access to an interesting subject or you own (or can obtain) the rights to what the industry calls ‘IP’ (intellectual property), this can give you a real boost when it comes to selling your project.

However, if you don’t control the rights, you might run into problems down the line when you come to sell your project.

Inspired by a true story

This type of story lowers expectations that what follows actually happened and gives writers more license to blur fact and fiction.

Variants include ‘loosely based’, ‘loosely inspired’ and even ‘very loosely based’. The recent Netflix series House of Guinness (2025) makes its approach even clearer with a note before each episode that ‘this fiction is inspired by true stories’.

These labels can also be quite irreverent and tongue in cheek, like an unreliable narrator who we know not to trust. For example, The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009) starts with the intriguing line: ‘More of this is true than you would believe.’

Labels like ‘inspired by’ can also help to head-off any potential legal issues. The recent release Swiped (2025) includes disclaimers before and after the film letting us know that not only is it merely ‘inspired by actual events’ but that essentially every element of the story has been ‘fictionalised for dramatic purposes’ and it is not ‘intended to reflect any real persons or businesses’.

Fictionalised protagonist Whitney Wolfe Herd remains subject to a non-disclosure agreement covering the events dramatized in the film. She was not involved with the project (and in fact tried to shut it down), so the writers pieced the story together from “articles, court documents and social media posts”.

When ‘inspired by’ films and TV shows are drawn from specific source material, it’s likely the adaptation plays fast and loose with the facts. Films in this category might also be based on novels, where dramatic licence has already been taken by the author to craft a fictionalised dramatic narrative.

Examples of fact-based films inspired by a true story:

  • The Bikeriders (2023): This biker gang movie was inspired by a 1967 photo-book of the same name by Danny Lyon.
  • The Revenant (2015): The fictionalised account of real-life frontiersman Hugh Glass’ survival after a bear attack in 1823 is based on Michael Punke’s 2002 novel.
  • A Complete Unknown (2024): The Bob Dylan biopic is inspired by the 2015 non-fiction book Dylan Goes Electric! Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties by Elijah Wald.

Writer takeaways

Just because you put an ‘inspired by’ label on your story, doesn’t mean you’re home free when it comes to rights issues. It depends on how far you depart from the facts and on the story source.

If you’re drawing the story from a single copyrighted source or basing it on the lives of identifiable real people, changing a few details and a couple of names is probably not enough to circumvent the need to secure appropriate rights.

Other types of fact-based script

Beyond ‘based on’ and ‘inspired by’, there are other types of fact-based screenplays, including:

Original (historical)

These stories aren’t drawn from a specific book or article. Instead, they’re constructed from a variety of sources. There may still be named source material if the story offers a specific viewpoint.

This type of fact-based story presents events from history, blending research with fiction to offer a version of what actually happened.

Examples of original historical fact-based films:

  • Dunkirk (2017): Dramatizes the real-life WWII evacuation using fictional characters and storylines but was praised for its historical accuracy.
  • JFK (1992): Oliver Stone’s controversial, conspiracy-heavy film on the assassination of John F. Kennedy drew on extensive sources.
  • Shirley (2024): A fictionalised look at Black US Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Writer takeaways

This is a great space for spec writers as it offers the freedom to craft stories which are based on history but without the pressure of securing rights.

These types of stories are quite research intensive and require more work to draw out a clear central story thread.

Fictional narrative within a factual world

This type of story offers the most creative freedom as it sets a fictional narrative within a fact-based world. These stories combine an authentic backdrop with the freedom of an invented protagonist and storyline.

Rights here are usually not required. However, there are exceptions, such as Nomadland (2020). The 2017 non-fiction book of the same name by Jessica Bruder (and her related reporting) provides the source material which informs the original narrative.

Examples of original narrative fact-based films:

  • Titanic (1997): A fictional love story set against the historical backdrop of the passenger liner’s tragic sinking in 1912.
  • Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019): A fictional movie star and his stuntman are dropped into the real world of the 1969 Tate murders.
  • 1917 (2019): An original story which was pieced together from anecdotes and real-life events from World War I.

Writer takeaways

This is another fertile area for writers. But it’s still important to be aware of possible legal issues. If you’re drawing on real-life people or events from a copyrighted source, rights issues might still arise.

Final thoughts

Hopefully, this serves as an introduction to the different types of fact-based story, but it’s not an exact science. Within each type, there is lots of crossover.

For example, Argo (2012), is largely based on protagonist Tony Mendez’s first-hand account of a covert CIA operation, but some details – including most of Act Three – were changed for dramatic purposes.

When it comes to rights, the main thing to remember is that history belongs to us all. But a particular expression of history may not.

If the story you want to tell is drawn from a single, uncorroborated source, you’re probably adapting copyrighted material.

This is a hugely complex area (with potentially serious implications), so it’s wise to spend a little time investigating any rights issues. Defamation, privacy, and right-of-publicity issues can also apply when portraying real people – another reason to do your homework and, if needed, consult an expert.

If you’re searching for an interesting fact-based project, one possible route is to look at public domain material. Each year, new material enters the public domain, which you can access through such sites as:

Finally, if in doubt, fictionalise.

As we noted at the beginning, ‘based on’ and ‘inspired by’ are more than labels. For writers, they’re a way of framing our projects and understanding the responsibilities and opportunities they offer.