6 Best Ghostwriter and Literary Fraud Movies

By Vlad Zakh · June 16, 2026

Hidden authorship and stolen words make for sharp dramas about writing and truth. Can You Ever Forgive Me? has a struggling biographer forging letters from famous authors, Trumbo follows a blacklisted screenwriter working in secret, and Big Eyes has a painter discovering her husband has been taking credit for her work. The Words, The Ghost Writer and Shattered Glass round out the six.

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

TMDB ★ 6.8

A struggling biographer turns to forging and selling letters from famous authors to pay her bills.

Directed by Marielle Heller · 1h 46m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Trumbo (2015)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A blacklisted Hollywood screenwriter keeps working in secret under other writers' names during the Red Scare.

Directed by Jay Roach · 2h 04m · Rated R

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Big Eyes (2014)

TMDB ★ 7.0

A painter discovers her husband has been secretly taking credit for her hugely popular artwork.

Directed by Tim Burton · 1h 46m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Philo, Starz Amazon Channel, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Starz, Starz Apple TV channel, Starz Roku Premium Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Words (2012)

TMDB ★ 6.7

A struggling novelist's decision to publish a stranger's manuscript as his own leads to a moral reckoning.

Directed by Brian Klugman & Lee Sternthal · 1h 42m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Paramount Plus Essential · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Ghost Writer (2010)

TMDB ★ 6.8

A ghostwriter hired to finish a former prime minister's memoirs uncovers a dangerous conspiracy.

Directed by Roman Polanski · 2h 08m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Starz Apple TV channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Shattered Glass (2003)

IMDb ★ 7.1 RT 92% Metacritic 73

A rising magazine writer's articles turn out to be almost entirely fabricated.

Directed by Billy Ray · 1h 34m · Rated PG-13

11 wins & 28 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel, Starz Apple TV channel, Howdy Amazon Channel · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Ghostwriter and Literary Fraud Movies

Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

Trumbo (2015)

Big Eyes (2014)

The Words (2012)

The Ghost Writer (2010)

Shattered Glass (2003)

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