EXCLUSIVE: A big-screen adaptation of David D. Magee’s memoir Dear William: A Father’s Memoir of Addiction, Recovery, Love, and Loss has been greenlit, with production underway in Mississippi, and Andrew Hyatt (The Blind and Paul) directing.
Hyatt has also written the film’s screenplay. Matt Passmore, Emily Rose, Gabriel Nagy and Hudson Macready star in the film, which tells the true story of a family confronting addiction and loss while finding its way back to one another. Magee is also producing the film, alongside Cory Pyke.
Passmore plays David, a divorced, broke, and unraveling father who sets out for California with his oldest son, William (Nagy), on a two-thousand-mile drive. Along the way, he discovers that they are both struggling with addiction. The synopsis continues: With Rose portraying Kent and Macready playing Hudson, the story expands beyond father and son to follow a family reckoning with the truths it has kept hidden, navigating marriage, loss, and faith, and discovering the possibility of hope and joy on the other side. At its heart is a son’s final request that gives his father a lifelong purpose.
Passmore is best known for his leading roles as detective Jim Longworth in A&E’s The Glades and Neil Truman in USA Network’s Satisfaction. His additional television credits include McLeod’s Daughters, Frayed, and Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why, while his film work includes Jigsaw.
Rose starred as Audrey Parker in Syfy’s Haven. Her television credits also include Brothers & Sisters, Jericho, and ER. Macready is an actor, singer-songwriter, and guitarist whose screen credits include a recurring role on ABC’s High Potential.