Principal Photography Begins in Mississippi on Feature Adaptation of Best-Selling Memoir ‘Dear William’

GREENWOOD, Miss., Sept. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Principal pictures will start Sept. 8 in Mississippi on “Dear William,” a function adaptation of the best-selling memoir of the identical identify by David D Magee. Written and directed by Andrew Hyatt (“Paul, Apostle of Christ,” “The Blind”), and produced by Magee, the movie will shoot for roughly 5 weeks in Greenwood, Mississippi, with choose scenes on the University of Mississippi campus in Oxford.

“Dear William” tells the true story of 1 American household’s breaking and remaking. It follows the Magee household by habit, grief and profound loss to therapeutic, hope and renewed goal.

The venture lately acquired an $800,000 grant from the Mississippi Attorney General’s Opioid Settlement Fund, making the function movie a part of a broader statewide prevention initiative. Through storytelling, schooling and group engagement, The Dear William Project seeks to assist households navigate habit, restoration and psychological well-being.

“Like so many families, we never imagined addiction would become part of our story,” mentioned Magee. “This film is about losing one another, finding our way back and discovering that healing is possible. We hope it helps other families believe the same is true for them.”

Based on the best-selling memoir Dear William: A Father’s Memoir of Addiction, Recovery, Love and Loss by Magee, the movie stars Matt Passmore (“The Glades,” “Poker Face”), Gabriel Nagy (“Extra Geography”), Emily Rose (“Haven”) and Hudson Macready (“High Potential”). Hyatt most lately wrote and directed “The Blind,” chronicling the early lifetime of Phil Robertson. His earlier directing credit embody “Paul, Apostle of Christ,” “Full of Grace” and “Sight.”

Principal pictures will happen primarily in Greenwood, with further filming in Oxford, together with scenes on the University of Mississippi campus. Production is happening underneath the Mississippi Motion Picture Incentive Program.

“This story has always belonged to Mississippi,” mentioned Magee. “Students and families here have been part of it from the beginning. This is a storytelling state – there was never another place to make it.”

“Dear William” is produced by Magee, Cory Pyke and Eric Groth.

David D. Magee is a best-selling creator, producer and nationally acknowledged speaker, and founding father of The Magee Foundation. His award-winning memoir, Dear William: A Father’s Memoir of Addiction, Recovery, Love and Loss, was a Publishers Weekly nationwide bestseller and a Best Book of the South. He can also be creator of the forthcoming Walk With Me: A Father and Son Find Their Way Together (May 2027). Magee established the William Magee Institute for Student Wellbeing and the William Magee Center for AOD and Wellness Education on the University of Mississippi and works with faculties and communities throughout the nation utilizing storytelling. He lives in Oxford, Mississippi.

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SOURCE The Magee Foundation