Anthony McCarten

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{{Infobox writer

| name = Anthony McCarten

| image = Anthony McCarten 2012.jpg

| caption = Anthony McCarten in 2012

| pseudonym =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1961|4|28}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.mycast.io/talent/anthony-mccarten|title=Anthony McCarten on myCast - Fan Casting Your Favorite Stories|website=myCast - Fan Casting Your Favorite Stories}}

| birth_place = New Plymouth, New Zealand

| occupation = {{hlist|Screenwriter|novelist|playwright|journalist|film director|film producer}}

| 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-budget biopics The Theory of Everything (2014), Darkest Hour (2017), Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), The Two Popes (2019), and Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022). McCarten has been nominated for four Academy Awards, including twice for Best Adapted Screenplay, for The Theory of Everything and The Two Popes.

Early life

McCarten was born and raised in New Plymouth, New Zealand,{{cite news|last=Saltmarsh|first=Matthew|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/24/arts/24iht-playwright.1810354.html|title=From sex comedy to exiles: Prolific New Zealander's worldwide reach|date=24 May 2008|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=13 November 2014}} and attended Francis Douglas Memorial College. He worked as a reporter for a couple of years on The Taranaki Herald before studying for an Arts degree at Massey University and Victoria University of Wellington, where he studied creative writing with Bill Manhire. After leaving university, McCarten appeared in a production of King Lear.{{cite web|url=http://www.authortrek.com/anthony_mccarten_page.html |title=Anthony McCarten profile |publisher=Authortrek |access-date=13 November 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141113091734/http://www.authortrek.com/anthony_mccarten_page.html |archive-date=13 November 2014 }}

Career

=Novels=

McCarten is a novelist and 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 by Esquire magazine.{{Cite web|title=Anthony McCarten|url=https://www.anzliterature.com/member/anthony-mccarten/|access-date=2021-11-18|website=Academy of New Zealand Literature|language=en-NZ}} McCarten published his second novel, The English Harem, in 2002, which he later adapted for the screen. It was broadcast on ITV in December 2005.{{Cite web|date=2017-01-13|title=English Harem, The (ITV 2005, Martine McCutcheon, Art Malik)|url=https://www.memorabletv.com/tv/english-harem-itv-2005-martine-mccutcheon-art-malik/|access-date=2021-11-18|website=Memorable TV|language=en-US}}

In 2007, he wrote his third novel Death 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. 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.{{Cite web|title=Show of Hands|url=https://www.nzfilm.co.nz/films/show-hands|access-date=2021-11-18|website=New Zealand Film Commission|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Fiction Book Review: Show of Hands by Anthony McCarten, Author . Washington Square $15 (230p) ISBN 978-1-4165-8607-4|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-4165-8607-4|access-date=2021-11-18|website=PublishersWeekly.com|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Screen|first=NZ On|title=Anthony McCarten {{!}} NZ On Screen|url=https://www.nzonscreen.com/profile/anthony-mccarten/biography|access-date=2021-11-18|website=www.nzonscreen.com|language=en}} The sequel novel to Death 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.{{Cite web|last=booksellersnz|date=2013-08-14|title=Book Review: In the Absence of Heroes, by Anthony McCarten|url=https://booksellersnz.wordpress.com/2013/08/15/book-review-in-the-absence-of-heroes-by-anthony-mccarten/|access-date=2021-11-18|language=en}} In 2013 McCarten published Brilliance, about Thomas Edison, and his friendship with J.P. Morgan.{{Cite web|title=Brilliance|url=https://historicalnovelsociety.org/reviews/brilliance-2/|access-date=2021-11-18|website=Historical Novel Society}} In 2015 he was inducted as a Literary Fellow of the New Zealand Society of Authors.{{Cite web|title=Spotlight on… ANTHONY MCCARTEN – Circa Theatre|url=https://www.circa.co.nz/spotlight-on-anthony-mccarten/|access-date=2021-11-18|language=en-US}} 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.{{Cite web|date=2018-01-18|title=Review: Darkest Hour|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/programmes/widescreen/story/2018628693/review-darkest-hour|access-date=2021-11-18|website=RNZ |language=en-nz}}{{Cite magazine|title=What's Fact and What's Fiction in the Movie 'Darkest Hour'|url=https://time.com/5031642/winston-churchill-darkest-hour/|access-date=2021-11-18|magazine=Time|language=en}}

=Screenwriting=

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 novel Death of a Superhero had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, won the 2011 Les 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 wrote The 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 5 Academy Award nominations, with McCarten earning two as producer and screenwriter in the categories of Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. He won two BAFTA awards for his roles as producer Best British Film and screenwriter Best Adapted Screenplay.

In 2017, McCarten wrote and co-produced a film about Winston Churchill, Darkest Hour. It stars Gary Oldman as Churchill, who has received critical acclaim for his performance. The film received 6 Academy Award nominations, with McCarten earning one as producer in the category of Best Picture. He was also nominated for two BAFTA awards for his role as producer, Best British Film and Best Film.

McCarten wrote Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), the Queen 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{{cite magazine|last=Mendelson|first=Scott|date=7 January 2019|title=Bryan Singer Golden Globes Winning 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Is The Highest Grossing Drama Of All Time|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2019/01/07/bryan-singer-golden-globes-bohemian-rhapsody-rami-malek-fox-star-wars-x-men-deadpool/#48e89ad65215/|magazine=Forbes Magazine}} and/or biopic of all time in 2018,{{cite magazine|last=Chilton|first=Bart|date=26 November 2018|title=Bohemian Blockchain Rhapsody: Lessons to be Learned from Queen & Freddie|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/bartchilton/2018/11/26/bohemian-blockchain-rhapsody-lessons-to-be-learned-from-queen-freddie/|magazine=Forbes Magazine}} winning the 2019 Golden Globe for Best Picture (drama),{{Cite news|last=Aridi|first=Sara|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/06/movies/golden-globes-winners-list.html|title=Golden Globe Winners 2019: The Complete List|date=2019-01-06|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-01-07|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} earning over $900 million at the box office, and was nominated for the 2019 Academy Award for Best Picture.{{Cite news|author=|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/oscar-nominations-2019-list-1203112405/|title=Oscar Nominations 2019: The Complete List|date=2019-01-22|work=Variety|access-date=2019-01-22|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}

In 2019, he wrote the script for The Two Popes, the film adaptation of his own stage play, The Pope; the film stars Anthony Hopkins as Pope Benedict XVI and Jonathan Pryce as Pope 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 upcoming Whitney Houston biopic. He would also serve as producer with Houston's mentor/boss Clive Davis, her estate president and music company Primary Wave. Stella Meghie was set to direct the film, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody.{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/04/whitney-houston-movie-stella-meghie-directing-anthony-mccarten-writing-houston-estate-clive-davis-primary-wave-bohemian-rhapsody-1202914991/|title=Whitney Houston Biopic Crystallizes; Stella Meghie Directing, Anthony McCarten Writing Script For Houston Estate, Primary Wave & Clive Davis|last= Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|date=2020-04-22|website=Deadline|language=en|access-date=2020-04-23}} In September 2021, director Kasi Lemmons was brought on to replace Meghie.{{Cite web |last=Kroll |first=Justin |date=2021-09-01 |title=Kasi Lemmons To Direct TriStar's Whitney Houston Biopic 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' |url=https://deadline.com/2021/09/kasi-lemmons-tristars-whitney-houston-i-wanna-dance-with-somebody-1234825336/ |access-date=2022-09-20 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}} Production started shortly afterwards at Marina Studios' soundstages in Quincy, Massachusetts.{{Cite web |last=Vlessing |first=Etan |date=2021-08-20 |title=Compelling Pictures Books Marina Studios for Whitney Houston Biopic, Film Slate Shoots (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/compelling-pictures-marina-studios-whitney-houston-biopic-film-shoots-1235000644/ |access-date=2022-09-20 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}

=Theatre=

McCarten received early international success with his play Ladies Night. McCarten has written the book for A Beautiful Noise, a Broadway musical about Neil Diamond which premiered in New York in December 2022.{{cite news |url=https://www.bigissue.com/interviews/anthony-mccarten-the-writer-with-the-midas-touch-on-his-pope-opera/|title=Anthony McCarten, the writer with the Midas touch, on his 'Pope Opera'|publisher=The Big Issue. 16 December 2019 | access-date=25 December 2019}} He is also the author of the plays The Collaboration and The Pope (AKAThe Two Popes) {{Cite news |date=July 7, 2022 |title=London's The Collaboration Transferring to Broadway With Jeremy Pope and Paul Bettany |work=Playbill |url=https://playbill.com/article/londons-the-collaboration-transferring-to-broadway-with-jeremy-pope-and-paul-bettany}}

Personal life

McCarten divides his time between London, Los Angeles and Munich. He has three children.{{Citation needed|date=January 2020}}

Selected works

Films

class="wikitable"
Year ! Title !width=65\| Director !width=65\| Writer !width=65\| Producer
1999 \|Via Satellite \|{{yes}} \|{{yes}} \|{{no}}
2008 \|Show of Hands \|{{yes}} \|{{yes}} \|{{no}}
2011 \|Death of a Superhero \|{{no}} \|{{yes}} \|{{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}}

class="wikitable"

Year

! Title

!width=65| Director

!width=65| Writer

!width=65| Producer

1999

|Via Satellite

|{{yes}}

|{{no}}

2008

|Show of Hands

|{{yes}}

|{{no}}

2011

|Death of a Superhero

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|{{yes|Executive}}

2014

|The Theory of Everything

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

2017

|Darkest Hour

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

2018

|Bohemian Rhapsody

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|{{no}}

2019

|The Two Popes

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

|{{no}}

2022

|Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

TBA

| The Collaboration

|{{no}}

|{{yes}}

Television

class="wikitable"
Year ! Title ! Notes
1989 \|Worzel Gummidge Down Under \| 4 episodes
2005 \|The English Harem \| TV movie

class="wikitable"

Year

! Title

! Notes

1989

|Worzel Gummidge Down Under

| 4 episodes

2005

|The English Harem

| TV movie

Theatre

class="wikitable"
Year ! Title ! Venue ! Notes
1984 \|Invitation to a Second Class Carriage \| Depot Theatre, Wellington \|
1987 \|Yellow Canary Mazurka \| \|
1987 \|Ladies Night \| Mercury \|With Stephen 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 \| AKA Continental Breakfast
2014 \|Death of a Superhero \| \| book by McCarten, music by Paul Brown
2017 \|The Pope \| Royal and Derngate Theatre, Northampton \| AKA The 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

class="wikitable"

Year

! Title

! Venue

! Notes

1984

|Invitation to a Second Class Carriage

| Depot Theatre, Wellington

1987

|Yellow Canary Mazurka

1987

|Ladies Night

| Mercury

|With Stephen 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

| AKA Continental Breakfast

2014

|Death of a Superhero

| book by McCarten, music by Paul Brown

2017

|The Pope

| Royal and Derngate Theatre, Northampton

| AKA The 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

Awards and nominations

class="wikitable
Year ! Award ! Category ! Title ! Result
rowspan=2 \| 2014 \| rowspan=4 \| Academy Awards \| Best Picture \|rowspan=2\| The Theory of Everything \| {{nom}}
Best Adapted Screenplay \| {{nom}}
2017 \| Best Picture \| Darkest Hour \| {{nom}}
2019 \| Best Adapted Screenplay \| The Two Popes \| {{nom}}
rowspan=3 \| 2014 \|rowspan=8\|BAFTA Awards \| Best Film \| rowspan=3 \| The Theory of Everything \| {{nom}}
Best Adapted Screenplay \| {{won}}
Outstanding British Film \| {{won}}
rowspan=2 \| 2017 \| Best Film \| rowspan=2 \| Darkest Hour \| {{nom}}
rowspan=2\|Outstanding British Film \| {{nom}}
2018 \| Bohemian Rhapsody \| {{nom}}
rowspan=2 \| 2019 \| Best Adapted Screenplay \| rowspan=4 \| The Two Popes \| {{nom}}
Outstanding British Film \| {{nom}}
2019 \| Golden Globe Awards \| Best Screenplay \| {{nom}}{{Cite web\|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/two-popes\|title=Two Popes, The\|website=www.goldenglobes.com}}
rowspan=2 \| 2019 \| Hollywood Film Awards \| Hollywood Screenwriter Award \| {{won}}

class="wikitable

Year

! Award

! Category

! Title

! Result

rowspan=2 | 2014

| rowspan=4 | Academy Awards

| Best Picture

|rowspan=2| The Theory of Everything

| {{nom}}

Best Adapted Screenplay

| {{nom}}

2017

| Best Picture

| Darkest Hour

| {{nom}}

2019

| Best Adapted Screenplay

| The Two Popes

| {{nom}}

rowspan=3 | 2014

|rowspan=8|BAFTA Awards

| Best Film

| rowspan=3 | The Theory of Everything

| {{nom}}

Best Adapted Screenplay

| {{won}}

Outstanding British Film

| {{won}}

rowspan=2 | 2017

| Best Film

| rowspan=2 | Darkest Hour

| {{nom}}

rowspan=2|Outstanding British Film

| {{nom}}

2018

| Bohemian Rhapsody

| {{nom}}

rowspan=2 | 2019

| Best Adapted Screenplay

| rowspan=4 | The Two Popes

| {{nom}}

Outstanding British Film

| {{nom}}

2019

| Golden Globe Awards

| Best Screenplay

| {{nom}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/film/two-popes|title=Two Popes, The|website=www.goldenglobes.com}}

rowspan=2 | 2019

| Hollywood Film Awards

| Hollywood Screenwriter Award

| {{won}}

Bibliography

Spinners Random House New Zealand (1999) Harper Perennial (US) (2001)
The English Harem Picador (2002), reprinted (film-tie-in) Alma Books (2006)
Brilliance (2006) Hawthorne Books (US), Alma Books (UK) Random House (NZ) Diogenes (Germany)
Death of a Superhero (2006, 2007) Alma Books
Show of Hands (2008) Diogenes (Germ.), Simon and Schuster (US), Random House (NZ)
In the Absence of Heroes (2012) Random House (NZ), Diogenes (Germ.)
funnygirl (2015) Alma Books (UK), Random House (NZ) Diogenes (Germany)
Darkest Hour: How Churchill Brought Us Back from the Brink (2017) Penguin/Viking (UK), HarperCollins (US)
The Pope: Francis, Benedict, and the Decision That Shook the World (2019) Flatiron Books (US)
Going Zero (2023)

References

External links

{{IMDb name|nm0565026}}
[http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/writers/mccartenanthony.html Entry in the Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature, Robinson and Wattie ed., 1998] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303201213/http://www.bookcouncil.org.nz/writers/mccartenanthony.html |date=3 March 2016 }}, bookcouncil.org.nz
[https://web.archive.org/web/20060717221333/http://www.almabooks.co.uk/EnglishHarem/AboutAntMcCart/AboutAntMcCart.html Profile], almabooks.co.uk
[http://www.nzonscreen.com/person/anthony-mccarten/biography Anthony McCarten profile], nzonscreen.com
[http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/05/24/features/playwright.php International Herald Tribune article]

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Category:1961 births

Category:Living people

Category:New Zealand screenwriters

Category:New Zealand male screenwriters

Category:20th-century New Zealand dramatists and playwrights

Category:People from New Plymouth

Category:20th-century New Zealand novelists

Category:21st-century New Zealand novelists