Screenwriter David Leslie Johnson began his journey in Hollywood as a production assistant, working under celebrated writer-director Frank Darabont in acclaimed movies like Shawshank Redemption (1994) and The Green Mile (1999). In 2009, Johnson made his screenwriting debut with the psychological horror thriller Orphan, which received mixed to positive reviews upon its release and was a box office success. It also earned him a Fright Meter Awards nomination for Best Screenplay.

Since then, Johnson has penned a number of films, primarily in the horror genre. Besides these, he has also served as a writer and consulting producer on the post-apocalyptic horror tv series The Walking Dead (2010-). Other significant screenwriting credits include the epic action adventure fantasy Wrath of the Titans (2012), the horror thriller The Conjuring 2 (2016), the superhero movie Aquaman (2018) and The Conjuring 3 (2020).