Bale plays hedge fund manager Michael Burry, the first person to predict the collapse.
Rezendes wrotethe first article, published Jan. 6, 2002, in the Pulitzer Prize-winning series of revelatory coverage.

Jaap Buitendijk/Paramount Pictures; Jim Spellman/WireImage

Jaap Buitendijk/Paramount Pictures; Daniel Acker/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Jin Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Jaap Buitendijk/Paramount Pictures

Jaap Buitendijk/ 20th Century Fox; Marty Lederhandler/AP

Jaap Buitendijk/Dreamworks/Disney; ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images

Kimberley French/20th Century Fox; Wikimedia Commons

Kerry Hayes/Open Road Films; Desiree Navarro/WireImage

Kerry Hayes/Open Road Films; Desiree Navarro/WireImage

Kerry Hayes/Open Road Films; Desiree Navarro/WireImage

Open Rod Films; Dina Rudick/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Kerry Hayes/Open Road Films; Gabriel Olsen/Getty Images

Kerry Hayes/Open Road Films; Paul Marotta/Getty Images

Kerry Hayes/Open Road Films; Marc Andrew Deley/FilmMagic

Hilary Bronwyn Gayle; AP

Francois Duhamel/Universal Pictures; Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Francois Duhamel; Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images

20th Century Fox; Ida Mae Astute/ABC via Getty Images

Agatha A. Nitecka/Focus Features; ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images

Focus Features; Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images