David Magee is Hollywood’s screenwriter, from A Man Called Otto to A Lady Called Chatterley, Mary Poppins and the Little Mermaid – behind the lens

You have to admit that David Magee is quite versatile. In 2022 alone, the popular screenwriter saw the release of the Netflix YA film The School of Good and Evil the sweltering adaptation of the DH Lawrence classic Lady Chatterley’s lover, and the heartwarming American remake of the Swedish comedy opens later this month A man named Otto with Tom Hanks.

That might be enough for a career for some Hollywood writers, but it’s just another year in the life of this go-to talent. Magee first won recognition and an Academy Award nomination for 2004 Find Neverland. He received a second Oscar nomination in 2013 for the adaptation of the book pi life. For this last Ang Lee-directed film, adapting the book for the screen was considered by many to be an impossible task, but Magee found a way and the film won four Oscars, etc. never land was nominated for Best Picture.

Other credits of Magee include Mary Poppins returns and the upcoming Rob Marshall version of The little mermaid. From Disney to DH Lawrence, nothing seems too daunting for Magee, who has also taken on the challenge of making a major global bestseller and making a Swedish Oscar-nominated film A man named Ove. But with the approval of Hanks and Rita Wilson, who are also producers A man named Otto work on his own terms.

Magee joins me for this week’s episode of my Deadline video series Behind the Lens. Click on the video above to watch.

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