Based on The Legend of Michael Kohlhaas
The Legend of Billie Jean is a retelling of The Legend of Michael Kohlhaas, with Kohlhaas' stolen horses replaced by a damaged motorscooter. So is the movie Ragtime where Coalhouse Walker's Model T Ford was ruined by a racist fireman and he demanded it be cleaned. The screenwriter added the Joan of Arc touches to make the female hero more sympathetic. Plus the finale with a huge Billie Jean statue going up in flames like St. Joan being burned at the stake was too tempting to pass up.