David Magee (born 1962) is an American screenwriter who was nominated for a 2004 Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Finding Neverland. Along with Simon Beaufoy, he wrote the screenplay for Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day starring Frances McDormand and Amy Adams, which was released in 2008. His 2012 screen adaptation of the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel earned him a Satellite Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
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Biography from TMDB.
- January 1, 1962 (64)
- Flint, Michigan, USA
- Writer and producer
- 9 on MovieCove · 11 credits in all
What are David Magee's films like?
Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 9
Light 6 · Serious 3 · Dark 0
Grounded 2 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 3
Gentle 1 · Charged 8 · Intense 0
Steady 7 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 1
A split, not a type: Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0
Casual 6 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 4 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 1
Resolved 8 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet6
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch David Magee's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for David Magee's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
11 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page.
Anxious People (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)
Prom Party Massacre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)
The Tiger's Apprentice(2024)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films
The Little Mermaid(2023)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films
A Man Called Otto(2022)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Lady Chatterley's Lover(2022)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Mary Poppins Returns(2018)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Life of Pi(2012)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Finding Neverland(2004)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 11 titles, 10 of them dated from 2004 to 2025.
Biggest box office
Life of Pi (2012)
Highest rated
Life of Pi (2012)
Most popular right now
A Man Called Otto (2022)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
8 major nominations and no wins, 2005–2013.
- Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Adapted Screenplay
+2 other major bodies · 2 nominations
- Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Adapted Screenplay
- Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Adapted Screenplay
- Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best Screenplay - Motion Picture
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Screenplay - Adapted
+1 other major body · 1 nomination
- Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Writer
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do David Magee's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 69th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 69th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th3
Shape of the crowd
3 of their 9 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved3
- Divisive1
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the dialogue 51/100 and the plot and story 47/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is David Magee's work okay for kids?
Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity, profanity and alcohol & drugs run lighter than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does David Magee work with?
People who share at least 2 of David Magee's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Rob Marshall shares the most, 2.
Directors
- Rob MarshallShared titles: The Little Mermaid (2023), Mary Poppins Returns (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Rob Marshall
- Marc ForsterShared titles: A Man Called Otto (2022), Finding Neverland (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Marc Forster
Cinematographers and editors
- Dion BeebeShared titles: The Little Mermaid (2023), Mary Poppins Returns (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Dion Beebe
- Matt ChesseShared titles: A Man Called Otto (2022), Finding Neverland (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Matt Chesse
Producers
- Jane StartzShared titles: The Tiger's Apprentice (2024), The School for Good and Evil (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Jane Startz
- Kane LeeShared titles: The Tiger's Apprentice (2024), The School for Good and Evil (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Kane Lee
- John DeLucaShared titles: The Little Mermaid (2023), Mary Poppins Returns (2018)See all 2 shared titles with John DeLuca
- Marc PlattShared titles: The Little Mermaid (2023), Mary Poppins Returns (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Marc Platt
Mixed roles
- Lin-Manuel MirandaShared titles: The Little Mermaid (2023), Mary Poppins Returns (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Lin-Manuel Miranda
