21 Movies From 2016 That Are Based on True Stories

Natalie Portman is earning early Oscar buzz for her role as Jackie Kennedy in this drama. The movie focuses on Jackie's perspective during JFK's assassination.

Release date: Dec. 9

Everyone knows McDonalds, but not everyone has heard of Ray Kroc, the man who founded the empire. Michael Keaton is playing him in this biopic costarring Laura Dern, Nick Offerman, Patrick Wilson, and Linda Cardellini.

Release date: Dec. 16 (wide Jan. 20)

OK, calling Natalie Dormer's horror flick a "true story" is a bit of a stretch, but it is set in a very real, very spooky setting: the Aokigahara forest. It's a forest in Japan that is notorious for the numerous suicides that have been committed there. Because of the vast amount of deaths that occur there, police have mounted signs on trees that say things like: "Your life is a precious gift from your parents," and "Please consult the police before you decide to die!" It's no wonder The Forest made our list of 2016's must-see horror movies!

Release date: Jan. 8

Michael Bay tapped John Kransinski to star in this action-thriller, an adaptation of Mitchell Zuckoff's book 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi. Like the book, the movie details the events that took place on Sept. 11, 2012, when terrorists attacked the US State Department Special Mission Compound and a CIA station in Libya. Pablo Schreiber and James Badge Dale also starred.

Release date: Jan. 15

This sea story dates back to 1952, when Cape Cod's Coast Guard made a dangerous attempt to rescue the crews of two oil tankers caught in a horrendous storm. Chris Pine stars as Bernie Webber, the real-life man whose crew headed up the rescue efforts. Eric Bana, Ben Foster, and Casey Affleck all costarred.

Release date: Jan. 29

Taron Edgerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service) played Eddie Edwards, the British skier who rose to stardom after his participation in the 1988 Calgary Olympics. Hugh Jackman played his trainer and friend Bronson Peary, a character who was fabricated for the film.

Release date: Feb. 26

Tina Fey took on the starring role in this political comedy based on Kim Barker's bestseller The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Fey portrayed Barker, who started reporting from Afghanistan and Pakistan in the early 2000s. In addition to its leading lady, the movie features Billy Bob Thornton, Margot Robbie, and Martin Freeman.

Release date: March 4

Tom Hiddleston starred as legendary singer Hank Williams is this biopic. Elizabeth Olsen plays his wife, alongside Bradley Whitford and David Krumholtz as other prominent figures in Williams's life. We can vouch for Hiddleston's terrific performance!

Release date: March 25

Colin Firth played Scribner's legendary editor Max Perkins in Genius, a biopic that also boasts Jude Law as Thomas Wolfe, Dominic West as Ernest Hemingway, and Guy Pearce as F. Scott Fitzgerald. As you might be able to tell, it's a literary nerd's dream come true. In case you want to read the book it's based on first, it's Max Perkins: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg.

Release date: June 10

Director Gary Ross is at the helm of this drama, set during the Civil War. Matthew McConaughey is starring as Newton Knight, a Mississippi resident who famously spoke out in opposition to the Civil War. Branded as a traitor by the Confederate army, Knight went on to lead his own group of rebels. Keri Russell, Jacob Lofland (who starred with McConaughey in 2012's Mud), and Gugu Mbatha-Raw costarred.

Release date: June 24

Director Todd Phillips is behind the camera for this adaptation of a Rolling Stone article. Miles Teller and Jonah Hill played two inexperienced arms dealers who score a massive contract with the US government. The trailer alone is extremely entertaining, and Bradley Cooper made a cameo.

Release date: Aug. 19

This Sundance breakout may as well be called Barack and Michelle: The Love Story. Tika Sumpter and Parker Sawyers starred as the future president and first lady in this dramatization of their first date. Just because we know how it ends doesn't mean it's not adorable to watch Michelle resist the charms of her husband-to-be.

Release date: Aug. 26

The nation was captivated when Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger successfully landed a damaged plan in the Hudson River in 2009, and we're similarly hypnotized by Tom Hank's portrayal of the American hero in Sully. Clint Eastwood directed the film, which also stars Laura Linney, Aaron Eckhart, and Anna Gunn.

Release date: Sept. 9

Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as famous whistleblower Edward Snowden in this biopic, which was originally scheduled for a 2015 release. It's essentially a mashup of two books: The Snowden Files: The Inside Story of the World's Most Wanted Man by Luke Harding and Time of the Octopus, an unpublished book by Anatoly Kucherena. Oliver Stone directed the politically charged drama.

Release date: Sept. 16

Been feeling a serious lack of Lupita Nyong'o lately? We can relate. She stars alongside David Oyelowo and Madina Nalwanga in the story of a young girl from Uganda training to become a world chess champion in Queen of Katwe. Nyong'o is playing the girl's mother, named Harriet Mutesi. Not only is the film based on a true story, but it's also a book!

Release Date: Sept. 23

Mark Wahlberg and Dylan O'Brien are featured in this big-screen retelling of the oil rig disaster in 2010. Under normal circumstances, a movie featuring O'Brien and Wahlberg sounds like you're in for some sexy eye candy, but given the serious subject matter, you're more in for an informative exploration of the awful explosion.

Release date: Sept. 30

This movie sounds so bizarre, and is so jam-packed with comedians, that you might have a hard time believing that it's true — but it is! Zach Galifianakis is playing David Ghantt, a vault supervisor who pulled off the second-largest bank robbery in history (at the time) in 1997. He and several cohorts were eventually caught by the FBI after they spent exorbitant amounts of cash. Kristen Wiig, Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis, and Kate McKinnon are costarring.

Release date: Sept. 30

Nate Parker's abolitionist drama wowed critics at Sundance, and you can expect to be blown away when it comes out in October. He plays Nat Turner, a famous figure who led a slave rebellion in 1831. If you watched the intense trailer, you probably already have this on your must-see list.

Release date: Oct. 7

Andrew Garfield is taking on the role of real-life army medic Desmond T. Doss, who saved countless lives during WWII despite being morally opposed to violence. You can expect this one to be bloody and emotionally stirring. Teresa Palmer and Vince Vaughn are costarring.

Release date: Nov. 4

If it's been a while since your last American history class — or this just wasn't mentioned — Richard and Mildred Loving (Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga) were a couple who paved the way for interracial marriage in the United States. Set in 1958, Loving tells the tale of their romance, nearly torn apart by the hatred around them.

Release date: Nov. 4 (limited, wide Nov. 11)

Miles Teller is playing Vinny Pazienza in this drama about the real-life boxer's return to the ring after a debilitating car crash. The movie will be premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, and has been getting positive reviews thanks to Aaron Eckhart's powerful performance.

Release date: Nov. 4 (limited, wide Nov. 23)