\nUp to this point we have re-discovered and delved more deeply into the lives of such illustrious people as famous writers of fiction, scientists, mathematicians, activists and presidents to name but a few\u00a0 among the diverse cast of characters. These have included film adaptations of the lives of Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway in Becoming Jane<\/em>), James M. Barrie (Johnny Depp in Finding Neverland<\/em>), Howard Hughes (Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator<\/em>), Harvey Milk (Sean Penn in Milk<\/em>) and even fictionalized versions of people such as William Randolph Hearst in Citizen Kane<\/em>. The year 2013 saw Disney shedding some light on the filming of its classic Mary Poppins<\/em> when Tom Hanks walked in the shoes of Walt Disney and Emma Thompson likewise as the author P.L. Travers in Saving Mr. Bank<\/em>s. Recently the films Selma<\/em> and The Theory of Everything<\/em> have been in the spotlight for portraying Martin Luther King, Jr. and Stephen Hawking, respectively, and have been nominated for Academy Awards.
\nSo now you may ask, who\u2019s next? Whose life\u2019s work will now be shown on the small or silver screen with all of the joys and pains that come with it? To start off the conversation, I have provided a list of some well-known people from the last two hundred years (some you may not have even hear about!) and why I think they deserve a film of their very own.<\/p>\n
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Here\u2019s a list of possible candidates (you can be the judge!):<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"](\"http:\/\/areteem.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/Whos-Next-Blog-Alexander_Grothendieck.jpg\" "\\"Alexander")
<\/a>–Alexander Grothendieck<\/strong> (German-born French mathematician)
\nIn the wake of such brilliant minds on film such as that of Alan Turning played by Benedict Cumberbatch in The Imitation Game<\/em>, more mathematicians and scientists should be featured in the realm of cinema, like Alexander Grothendieck<\/a> who died last November. For those who may not know him (personally or on the web), Grothendieck made advancements in the field of algebraic geometry among other mathematical theories during his professional career before becoming a recluse for decades from the time of his retirement to his death. It would be interesting to see his life in pre-World War II Germany and his illustrious career in France, all without being a French citizen until the 1980s!<\/p>\n<\/a>–A.A. Milne<\/strong> (British writer of the Winnie the Pooh<\/em> stories)
\nSo many movies and TV shows, predominantly made by Disney, have been produced about the most famous teddy bear, but what of the author who created him? A.A. Milne<\/a> touched our hearts when he started to write about his own son (the real Christopher Robin)\u2019s special stuffed companions and turned them into full-fledged stories. A.A. Milne\u2019s life and his relationship with his son and Ernest Shepherd, who illustrated these beloved stories bringing the likes of Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and Eeyore to life would be something worth watching. (And the song for the ending credits\u2026 Return to Pooh Corner<\/em> by Kenny Loggins).<\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0–Isaac Asimov<\/strong> (Russian-born American sci-fi writer and biochemistry professor)
\nOne of the great science fiction writers of our time! Who wouldn\u2019t want to learn how a biochemistry professor took to writing such great stories! Asimov<\/a>\u2019s vision of the world as seen in his robot stories like the collection in I, Robot<\/em><\/a>\u00a0 would be fascinating to uncover (How did he come up with the \u201cThree Laws of Robotics\u201d after all?). Especially with the continued resurgence of more movies in this genre, it would be wonderful to see Asimov\u2019s thinking process in creating his stories as well as his earlier scientific research in Boston. Some scenes that should be in the movie could include how he came about \u201cpsychohistory\u201d in his Foundation <\/em>series<\/a> or how he wrote mystery stories and limericks outside of science fiction and popular science (gasp!).<\/p>\n<\/a>–Ray Bradbury<\/strong><\/a> (American sci-fi, fantasy and mystery fiction writer)
\nThe prolific writer of such classics of fiction such as the dystopian masterpiece Fahrenheit 451<\/em><\/a>, The Martian Chronicles<\/em><\/a>, Dandelion Wine<\/em><\/a>, Something Wicked This Way Come<\/em>s<\/a> and The Halloween Tree<\/em><\/a> to name a few, Bradbury<\/a> is definitely one person who has experienced much in his lifetime (Did you know that he wrote\u00a0Fahrenheit 451<\/em><\/a> in the basement of Powell Library at UCLA<\/a>?). The author, among other achievements, also worked for the Disney company to come up with the design, among other projects, for \u201cSpaceship Earth\u201d at Walt Disney World. Similar to other author movie bios such as the life of Beatrix Potter (aka Renee Zellweger) in Miss Potter<\/em>, a director could go crazy portraying the imaginative world of Ray Bradbury and his creative genius. The title, taken from the words of Mr. Electrico, a carnival entertainer he encountered as a boy who ultimately changed his life, would simply be, \u201cLive Forever!\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/a>–Alan Kay<\/strong> (American computer scientist)
\nA man who was a jazz guitarist before he worked with computers, Alan Kay<\/a> is a cool dig. He has worked for the Apple company and as a Disney Imagineer and pioneered work on object-oriented programming, for which he is most known for. He has also contributed to the \u201cOne Laptop per Child\u201d program so his work with mobile learning is appropriately relatable to our time. It would be great to see an innovator such as Alan Kay portrayed on film. (Seriously, anyone who can read 150 books by the time he was three years old is worth learning more about!).<\/p>\n<\/a>–Linus Pauling<\/strong> (American chemist and peace activist)
\nMr. Pauling<\/a> balanced his work in both scientific research as well as his humanitarian efforts. His scientific efforts bridged many different fields, in particular teaching chemistry as a professor at Caltech, along with new research, among others, in physics, mineralogy, psychiatry and biomedicine. Beyond winning a Nobel Prize in Chemistry, he also won the Nobel Peace Prize for his involvement as a social activist after World War II denouncing the US\u2019s involvement in developing nuclear weapons. A director could decide to focus on his advancements in chemistry as well as the several decades he devoted himself to promoting peace in our world.<\/p>\n<\/a>–Alfred Nobel<\/strong> (Swedish scientist, engineer and innovator)
\nYes, what of the man who gave the ubiquitous name to the \u201cNobel Prize\u201d after giving away most of his estate to establish these awards? Alfred Nobel<\/a> was a dynamic man in his own right ,having been an author, scientist and inventor, with so many patents under his name that he should be analyzed for all he is worth by a film director! For someone who traveled and did so much, all without having attended a university, it would be amazing to see Nobel in action such as conducting one of his many scientific experiments. This film would ultimately be a blast! (Did you know that he invented dynamite?).\\<\/p>\n<\/a>–Nikola Tesla<\/strong><\/a> (Serbian American scientist, engineer, inventor and futurist)
\nEdison <\/a>did a lot but so did Tesla<\/a> too beyond giving us the name for the ultra cool car<\/a>! (On a side note, Tesla even worked for \u201cThe Wizard of Menlo Park\u201d at one point in time)! The radio, AC currents, the Tesla coil and X-Rays were all mind-breaking innovations in due part to Tesla\u2019s intense focus as an engineer and inventor. Bringing his ideas and his inventions to life on screen would be amazing to behold, especially with modern CGI technology enhancements! David Bowie was great as Tesla in the dark magician\u2019s tale of The Prestige<\/em>, but now Tesla, the quintessential \u201cmad scientist\u201d and inventor of gizmos should have his own electrifying movie of his own. Adrien Brody is my man of choice!<\/p>\n<\/a>–Frank Lloyd Wright<\/strong><\/a> (American architect and interior designer)
\nThe architect behind the Fallingwater house in Pennsylvania and the Guggenheim Museum in New York, Mr. Wright <\/a>should have a movie showcasing his wonderful career full of his architectural designs. If anyone has watched an episode of Da Vinci\u2019s Demons<\/em> and seen all of the blueprint drawings flash across the screen to show what Leonardo is thinking\u2026that is what I have in mind for showing Wright\u2019s thinking process in designing his many buildings. We have seen images of his works so many times; don\u2019t you think we need to see how the man came up with them?<\/p>\n<\/a>–Edward Gorey<\/strong><\/a> (American writer and artist)
\n-Last but certainly not least, I have chosen one of the great artists of the bizarre- Edward Gorey<\/a>. With all of his gothic sensibility filling numerous pages with his macabre little stories accompanied by a menagerie of sweater-wearing cats, Edwardian gentlemen and mourning Victorian ladies, a movie should be in the works. In his lifetime, he had already supplied the animated opening sequences to the hit PBS series Mystery!<\/em> so that should not be a problem! Now it\u2019s a time to learn more about the Chicago<\/a>-born native (and his many cats dwelling in his Massachusetts home) and why he came up with such creepy rhymes such as \u201cA is for Amy who fell down the stairs\u201d from The Gashlycrumb Tinies<\/em><\/a>. I can see it now, \u201cAmphigorey the movie\u201d starring\u2026Johnny Depp!<\/p>\n