Hello,
There is a book that I just read about a lady that lived in a nearby town that I grew up in. She died in 1979. The author of the book is also dead. There has never been a screenplay made. Do you need permission to write about something if it is based on facts?
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Great Q!
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I remember when Spielberg's Amistad came out around 1998. He was sued for plagiarism by the author of a book about the Amistad revolt, an actual historical event. Don't remember how all the legal wrangling turned out, but the big question was "who owns history." So your question as stated by Ty, a grey area.
Dan's idea of writing a sample will also help you perfect your craft of screenwriting. Regardless of the outcome.
Hope this helps :)
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Thank you everyone for all of this great advice. I should probably just focus on one of the original ideas that I have and leave this one alone.