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Anthony McCarten | |
|---|---|
 Anthony McCarten in 2012 | |
| Born | (1961-04-28)28 April 1961 (age 64)[1] |
| Occupation |
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| Alma mater | Massey University Victoria University of Wellington |
Anthony McCarten (born 28 April 1961) is a New Zealand writer and filmmaker. He is best known for writing big-budgetbiopicsThe Theory of Everything (2014),Darkest Hour (2017),Bohemian Rhapsody (2018),The Two Popes (2019), andWhitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022). McCarten has been nominated for fourAcademy Awards, including twice forBest Adapted Screenplay, forThe Theory of Everything andThe Two Popes.
McCarten was born and raised inNew Plymouth, New Zealand,[2] and attendedFrancis Douglas Memorial College. He worked as a reporter for a couple of years onThe Taranaki Herald before studying for an Arts degree atMassey University andVictoria University of Wellington, where he studied creative writing withBill Manhire. After leaving university, McCarten appeared in a production ofKing Lear.[2][3]
McCarten is the author of ten novels. McCarten's novels have been translated into 26 languages. His first novel,Spinners (Picador, 2000), was voted one of the top ten novels of that year byEsquire magazine.[4] McCarten published his second novel,The English Harem, in 2002, which he later adapted for the screen.[4] It was broadcast on ITV in December 2005.[5]
In 2007, he wrote his third novelDeath of a Superhero, then adapted the screenplay, executive produced the film, and wrote the book of the stage musical. It won the 2008 Austrian Youth Literature Prize and was a finalist for the 2008 German Youth Literature Prize.[4] His fourth novel,Show Of Hands, was published in Europe, and in the US by Simon and Schuster in 2009. McCarten directed the big screen adaptation and the movie had its world premiere at the Montreal World Film Festival, 2008, and was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director at the New Zealand Film Awards.[6][7][8] The sequel novel toDeath of a Superhero,In The Absence Of Heroes, was published in 2012, and was a finalist for the 2013 New Zealand Fiction Prize and was longlisted for the 2014 Dublin International IMPAC Literary Award.[9] In 2013 McCarten publishedBrilliance, aboutThomas Edison, and his friendship withJ.P. Morgan.[10] In 2015 he was inducted as a Literary Fellow of the New Zealand Society of Authors.[4][11]Going Zero, his 2023 thriller, was published in 23 languages.
In 2017 McCarten's work of historical non-fiction,Darkest Hour: How Churchill Brought Us Back From The Brink was published, and later was turned into a biopic.[12][13]
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Via Satellite, which McCarten adapted from his own stage play, and directed himself, was invited to several film festivals including London, Cannes, Toronto, Melbourne, Hawaii and Seattle. His follow-up feature as writer/director,Show of Hands (2008), premiered at the Montreal International Film Festival and was an official selection for the Shanghai Film Festival 2009.
In 2011, his adaptation of his own novelDeath of a Superhero had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, won the 2011Les Arcs Film Festival Audience Choice Prize and Young Jury Prize, and the Audience Award and 'Special Mention' of the Jury at the Mamer-en-Mars European Film Festival. It had its US premiere at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.
McCarten produced and wroteThe Theory of Everything (2014), concerning the life of Prof.Stephen Hawking, and his first wife,Jane Hawking. He first initiated talks with Jane to acquire the rights to her autobiography,Travelling to Infinity, in 2004, and shortly after began work on the screenplay, which took its inspiration from her book. On 15 January 2015, the film received 5Academy Award nominations, with McCarten earning two as producer and screenwriter in the categories ofBest Picture andBest Adapted Screenplay. He won two BAFTA awards for his roles as producer Best British Film and screenwriterBest Adapted Screenplay.
In 2017, McCarten wrote and co-produced a film aboutWinston Churchill,Darkest Hour. It starsGary Oldman as Churchill, who has received critical acclaim for his performance. The film received 6Academy Award nominations, with McCarten earning one as producer in the category ofBest Picture. He was also nominated for two BAFTA awards for his role as producer,Best British Film andBest Film.
McCarten wroteBohemian Rhapsody (2018), theQueen biopic that reached Number 1 at the box office in the US, UK, France, Germany, and all major markets, recording the second biggest opening weekend in history for a musical biography. It became the biggest grossing drama[14] and/or biopic of all time in 2018,[15] winning the 2019 Golden Globe for Best Picture (drama),[16] earning over $900 million at the box office, and was nominated for the 2019 Academy Award for Best Picture.[17]
In 2019, he wrote the script forThe Two Popes, the film adaptation of his own stage play,The Pope; the film starsAnthony Hopkins asPope Benedict XVI andJonathan Pryce asPope Francis, and had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival.
In April 2020,Deadline.com announced McCarten would be writing the screenplay for an upcomingWhitney Houston biopic. He would also serve as producer with Houston's mentor/bossClive Davis, her estate president and music company Primary Wave.Stella Meghie was set to direct the film,Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody.[18] In September 2021, directorKasi Lemmons was brought on to replace Meghie.[19] Production started shortly afterwards at Marina Studios' soundstages in Quincy, Massachusetts.[20]
McCarten received early international success with his playLadies Night.[2] McCarten has written the book forA Beautiful Noise, aBroadway musical aboutNeil Diamond which premiered inNew York in December 2022.[21] He is also the author of the playsThe Collaboration andThe Pope (AKAThe Two Popes)[22]
McCarten divides his time between London, Los Angeles and Munich. He has three children.[citation needed]
Films
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Via Satellite | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2008 | Show of Hands | Yes | Yes | No |
| 2011 | Death of a Superhero | No | Yes | Executive |
| 2014 | The Theory of Everything | No | Yes | Yes |
| 2017 | Darkest Hour | No | Yes | Yes |
| 2018 | Bohemian Rhapsody | No | Yes | No |
| 2019 | The Two Popes | No | Yes | No |
| 2022 | Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody | No | Yes | Yes |
| TBA | The Collaboration | No | Yes | Yes |
Television
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Worzel Gummidge Down Under | 4 episodes |
| 2005 | The English Harem | TV movie |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Invitation to a Second Class Carriage | Depot Theatre, Wellington | |
| 1987 | Yellow Canary Mazurka | ||
| 1987 | Ladies Night | Mercury | WithStephen Sinclair |
| 1988, 1989 | Pigeon English | Playwrights' Workshop / Depot | |
| 1990 | Weed | ||
| 1991 | Via Satellite | Wellington Theatre Critics | |
| 1992 | Hang on a Minute, Mate | Downstage | |
| 1992 | Ladies' Night 2 | Mercury | With Stephen Sinclair |
| 1995 | FILTH (Failed in London, Try Hong Kong) | Circa | |
| 1996 | Four Cities | Los Angeles | AKAContinental Breakfast |
| 2014 | Death of a Superhero | book by McCarten, music by Paul Brown | |
| 2017 | The Pope | Royal and Derngate Theatre, Northampton | AKAThe Two Popes |
| 2018 | Wednesday at Warren's, Friday at Bill's | ||
| 2022 | The Collaboration | London/Broadway | |
| 2022 | A Beautiful Noise | Boston/Broadway | book by McCarten, music by Neil Diamond |
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Academy Awards | Best Picture | The Theory of Everything | Nominated |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Nominated | |||
| 2017 | Best Picture | Darkest Hour | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Best Adapted Screenplay | The Two Popes | Nominated | |
| 2014 | BAFTA Awards | Best Film | The Theory of Everything | Nominated |
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Won | |||
| Outstanding British Film | Won | |||
| 2017 | Best Film | Darkest Hour | Nominated | |
| Outstanding British Film | Nominated | |||
| 2018 | Bohemian Rhapsody | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Best Adapted Screenplay | The Two Popes | Nominated | |
| Outstanding British Film | Nominated | |||
| 2019 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Screenplay | Nominated[23] | |
| 2019 | Hollywood Film Awards | Hollywood Screenwriter Award | Won |
