10 Awesome True Stories That Still Need The Hollywood Treatment

4. Jasper Maskelyne

Jasper Maskelyne was a renowned stage magician, from a long line of magicians, in fact. When World War II broke out, he offered his unique set of skills to the Royal Engineers. But what exactly could an illusionist offer a war effort? Quite a bit, it turns out. He masterminded several amazing feats of trickery to thwart German offensives. He created a decoy harbor for the Nazis to bomb. He made the Suez Canal disappear. He faked an entire offensive force using thousands of inflatable tanks.

How is this not already a movie? There is, of course the major caveat that a good deal of Maskelyne's exploits might not actually have happened. Frankly, I don't care. Heck, run with it. Throw in a framing story with an elderly Maskelyne relating all of these tales, and make it ambiguous how much is the truth and how much is a lie. A story this amazing must be told, true or not.

Source

 
Posted On: 
Contributor
Contributor

Dan Schindel loves movies more than you do. He considers it an accomplishment to have survived a year and counting in Los Angeles. Someday, he'll be the greatest critic in the world. He spent a year watching a documentary every day, so now he knows everything.