By Michael Arbeiter, Hollywood.com Staff

It was perplexing enough when the world decided to give one biopic to software engineer/documented oddball John McAfee. But perplexing enough just isn't perplexing enough: The Hollywood Reporter has linked Warner Bros. to a second developing film about the antivirus mogul and his various legal troubles throughout South America. News broke on Monday that the studio could be funding a cinematic project based on a Wired article (""John McAfee's Last Stand"") about McAfee's alleged criminal activity. All this on top of December's announcement that McAfee would play the focal character in Running in the Background: The True Story of John McAfee, a film by Impact Future Media, to whom McAfee himself sold his life rights.

That's right, two John McAfee movies. The major studio exploit and the independent project with questionable objectivity, as it always goes. See, the dueling biopics phenomenon is not one unique to the case of McAfee. Recent years have seen competing forces vie for the presentation of a shared subject's life story — a couple of instances are even in the works presently. Is there always a clear winner to the showdown, or are we left torn between contrasting portraits of great figures? Take a gander at what we think:

John McAfee

The Studio Movie: John McAfee's Last Stand adaptation (no official title)

Source Material: Wired article ""John McAfee's Last Stand""

Creative Forces: Unknown

The Independent Film: Running in the Background: The True Story of John McAfee

Source Material: McAfee's life rights

Creative Forces: Unknown

The Champion: Yet to be determined, although we can bet that the latter, which McAfee himself is at least marginally involved on a production level, might be a little skewed away from objectivity... which could, actually, be quite interesting.

Alfred Hitchcock

The Studio Movie: Hitchcock

Source Material: Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho by Stephen Rebello

Creative Forces: Director Sacha Gervasi; stars Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, and Scarlett Johansson

The HBO Film: The Girl

Source Material: Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and His Leading Ladies by Donald Spoto

Creative Forces: Director Julian Jarrold; stars Toby Jones and Sienna Miller

The Champion: The Girl is a far superior, more intricate and compelling film to the bland Hollywood output

Steve Jobs

The Studio Movie: Steve Jobs

Source Material: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson (authorized biography)

Creative Forces: Writer Aaron Sorkin

The Independent Film: jOBS

Source Material: Unknown

Creative Forces: Director Joshua Michael Stern; stars Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gad

The Champion: As much as we like Gad in costume as the Woz, we have to bet on the Sorkin power for this one.

Linda Lovelace

The Sundance Premiere: Lovelace

Source Material: Unknown

Creative Forces: Directors Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman; stars Amanda Seyfried, Peter Sarsgaard, and Sharon Stone

The Muddling-in-Oblivion Machination: Inferno: A Linda Lovelace Story

Source Material: Unknown

Creative Forces: Director/writer Matthew Wilder; stars Malin Akerman, Matt Dillon, and Harold Perrineau

The Champion: Another TBD, but Sundance provides us with some very favorable thoughts about the former.

And one from the archives...

Truman Capote

The Studio Movie: Capote

Source Material: Capote by Gerald Clarke

Creative Forces: Director Bennett Miller; stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, and Clifton Collins, Jr.

The Independent(ish) Film: Infamous

Source Material: Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances, and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career by George Plimpton

Creative Forces: Director/writer Douglas McGrath; Toby Jones (again!), Sandra Bullock, and Daniel Craig

The Champion: The Oscars were right on this one: Miller and Hoffman's rendition of the story was a dazzling feat — while Infamous, too, is a film worth your while, it doesn't quite live up to the spectacle that a character like Truman Capote deserves

[Photo Credit: Getty]

More:

Aaron Sorkin Talks Steve Jobs Biopic: ""This Entire Movie Is Going to Be Three Scenes""

Amanda Seyfried Gives Stunning Performance in Sundance Porn Biopic 'Lovelace'

James Brown Has Got a Brand New Biopic! Mick Jagger and Brian Grazer to Begin Casting

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