You must acknowledge David Magee’s versatility. The hotly anticipated adaptation of Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence and the end-of-the-month release of the heartwarming American version of the Swedish comedy A Man Called Otto, starring Tom Hanks, have all been written by the in-demand screenwriter in 2022 alone.

For some Hollywood writers, that could be enough for a career, but for this sought-after talent, it’s another year. For Finding Neverland, Magee received critical acclaim and an Oscar nomination in 2004. In 2013, he received a second Oscar nomination for his adaptation of The Life of Pi. Many people believed it would be impossible for the subsequent Ang Lee-directed movie to adapt the novel to the screen. Still, Magee managed it, and the movie won four Oscars and was nominated for Best Picture.

Magee joins me for this week’s round of my Deadline video series Behind the Lens.

Join me for a new episode of Behind the Lens during the Oscar season every Friday.

About David Magee

Dear William: A Father’s Memoir of Addiction, Recovery, Love, and Loss is a best-selling book by David Magee. Dear William, discussed on CBS Mornings, is a national bestseller according to Publisher’s Weekly, a Best Book of the South for 2021 (Reckon), and it received a Starred Review from Kirkus.

Things Have Changed: What Every Parent (and Educator) Should Know About the Student Mental Health, Substance Misuse Crisis, by David, is his next book (August 2023).