10 Must-See Biopics Hitting Theaters Before Year’s End!

This fall and winter, a wave of biopics and films based on true stories will be released. Here’s a preview, in order of release.

Lee Miller by Ellen Kuras – Release October 9, 2024

Kate Winslet stars as Lee Miller, one of the first female war photographers. The biopic explores her fascinating story. The British actress is joined by a stellar cast including Marion Cotillard, Alexander Skarsgård, Andrea Riseborough, Josh O’Connor, and Noémie Merlant in this feature directed by Ellen Kuras.

Initially a model who graced the cover of Vogue, Lee Miller later became a photographer on the front lines during World War II. She was also among the first to document the horrors of the Buchenwald and Dachau concentration camps.

Niki by Céline Sallette – Release October 9, 2024

In her directorial debut, actress Céline Sallette explores the life of artist Niki de Saint Phalle with Charlotte Le Bon in the lead role. Niki de Saint Phalle created her first shooting paintings in 1961, started making her famous feminist Nana sculptures using papier-mâché and resin in 1964, and from the 1970s worked on large-scale installation projects like the Tarot Garden in Italy and the Stravinsky Fountain in Paris. She also made the experimental film “Daddy” in collaboration with director Peter Whitehead in 1972.

The Apprentice – Release October 9, 2024

This fall, Donald Trump will also make headlines in movie theaters with The Apprentice, a biopic dedicated to him by Ali Abbasi. Two years after “Les Nuits de Mashhad”, Abbasi leaves Iran for the United States to create a film that, while different, also examines the product of a society.

Premiered at the last Cannes Film Festival, The Apprentice chronicles the rise of the future President of the United States under the guidance of lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), exploring the development of Trump’s flamboyant persona. Featuring a vintage aesthetic, opulent and tasteless decor, and a controversial rape scene leading to legal threats from the Trump family, the film, starring Sebastian Stan teetering between Alec Baldwin’s caricature in Saturday Night Live and a more flattering portrayal, almost didn’t make it to theaters. But it will, and that’s another reason not to miss it.

Mr. Aznavour by Grand Corps Malade and Mehdi Idir – Release October 23, 2024

Could this be the most spectacular French biopic of 2024? With numerous biopic releases in 2023, Mr. Aznavour, featuring Tahar Rahim and co-directed by Grand Corps Malade and Mehdi Idir, is set to make a splash this October.

Tahar Rahim has undergone a complete transformation for this role. Revealed by Jacques Audiard in “A Prophet” 15 years ago, he is unrecognizable as he portrays the famous singer and lyricist through the decades, even performing the singing himself. Mr. Aznavour tells the story of the artist’s rise to fame starting in the 1950s. Grand Corps Malade co-directs with Mehdi Idir, having previously collaborated on “Patients” and “School Life.”

Mr. Aznavour with Tahar Rahim: release, cast, plot… Everything to know about the most spectacular French biopic of 2024!

My Life with Dali (Daliland) – Release on DVD and VOD October 23, 2024

New York, 1973: James, a young gallery owner, is invited to one of the lavish parties hosted by the renowned painter Salvador Dalí, entering a world of exquisite madness. James is supposed to assist Dalí in preparing for a major exhibition, a unique opportunity for him. However, the more time he spends with the flamboyant artist, the deeper he plunges into financial and relational turmoil. Indeed, James discovers that the seemingly solid relationship between Dalí and his eccentric wife, Gala, is on the brink of collapse.

Ben Kingsley portrays Dali in My Life with Dali. This is already the second film of 2024 focusing on the famous painter. In this new movie, released directly on DVD and VOD in France, Ben Kingsley is joined by Barbara Sukowa and Ezra Miller. The direction is handled by Mary Harron, known for directing “American Psycho” in the early 2000s.

Kafka, The Last Summer by Georg Maas and Judith Kaufmann – Release November 20, 2024

In the summer of 1923, by the Baltic Sea, Franz Kafka meets Dora Diamant, a young children’s entertainer with whom he falls deeply in love. The ailing writer knows everything stands against their romance: his declining health, his chronic melancholy, and his father’s overpowering influence. Yet, by Dora’s side, Kafka finds renewed inspiration to write and a desire to savor every moment, turning the time he has left into a masterpiece. This German film, titled “Kafka, The Last Summer,” is directed by the duo who previously helmed “Two Lives,” Georg Maas and Judith Kaufmann.

Prodigies by Frédéric Potier and Valentin Potier – Release November 20, 2024

Prodigies is inspired by the story of the Pleynet twins. The pitch: The Vallois sisters, at 18, are admitted to the Karlsruhe University of Music under the eminent Klaus Lenhardt, fulfilling their father’s dream of making them the best. But an orphan disease affecting the hands of one sister halts her rise. As her sister shines, she soon suffers the same fate. Unable to imagine life without the piano, the twins develop a unique technique together, becoming “prodigies” in the truest sense. The film, co-directed by Frédéric Potier and Valentin Potier, stars Camille Razat, Mélanie Robert, Franck Dubosc, and Isabelle Carré.

Sarah Bernhardt, The Divine by Guillaume Nicloux – Release December 18, 2024

Sandrine Kiberlain is Sarah Bernhardt! She stars in Sarah Bernhardt, The Divine, releasing on December 18, directed by Guillaume Nicloux and written by Nathalie Leuthreau. The film focuses on 30 years in the life of this groundbreaking artist.

The story begins in Paris, 1915. Sarah Bernhardt is the world’s first global star. Free. Modern. Divine. Eccentric. Visionary. Between legend and fantasy, Sarah Bernhardt shares the love story that marked her life. The cast of Sarah Bernhardt, The Divine also includes Laurent Lafitte as Lucien Guitry, Amira Casar (Louise Abéma, painter and best friend of Sarah Bernhardt), Pauline Etienne, Laurent Stocker, and Sébastien Pouderoux, all from the Comédie-Française. The film will be released in theaters on December 18, 2024.

Saint Ex by Pablo Agüero – Release December 11, 2024

Louis Garrel joins the cast of Saint Ex, alongside Vincent Cassel and Diane Kruger. Garrel plays the titular role in this film directed by Pablo Agüero. The script is set in 1930 and focuses on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, a pilot for Aéropostale in Argentina. When Henri Guillaumet, his best friend and top pilot for Aéropostale, disappears in the Andes Mountains, Saint-Ex decides to search for him against all odds. This impossible quest forces him to surpass himself, making his ability to dream his greatest strength… The film is set for release on December 11, 2024.

The Deluge by Gianluca Jodice – Release December 25, 2024

Following Johnny Depp as Louis XV in Jeanne du Barry by Maïwenn, here comes Guillaume Canet as Louis XVI! The Deluge, by Italian filmmaker Gianluca Jodice, will be released on December 25, 2024, after opening the Locarno Festival.

In this historical film, on the last days of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, Guillaume Canet plays the King while Mélanie Laurent portrays the Queen. The pitch: In 1792, the Ancien Régime is coming to an end. In Paris, Louis XVI and his wife Marie-Antoinette are arrested and taken to the dungeon of the Temple Tower. Loosely inspired by the journals of Cléry, the King’s valet who stayed with him until his death.