Jane Goldman

Jane Loretta Anne Goldman[1] (born 11 June 1970) is an English screenwriter, author and producer. With Matthew Vaughn, she co-wrote the screenplays of Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014) and its sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), as well as X-Men: First Class (2011), Kick-Ass (2010) and Stardust (2007). Goldman also worked on the story of X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), the sequel to First Class, in partnership with Vaughn. Both met high critical praise for their partnership works.

For the American Olympic speed skater, see Jane Goldman (speed skater).

Jane Goldman
Goldman at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con International
Born	Jane Loretta Anne Goldman (1970-06-11) 11 June 1970 Hammersmith, London, England
Occupation	Screenwriter, author, producer
Years active	1993–present
Spouse(s)	Jonathan Ross ( m. 1988)
Children	3

Goldman's first solo screenplay was The Woman in Black (2012). She also wrote the script for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, a 2016 film adaption of the novel, for Tim Burton.

She has also written the books Dreamworld (2000) and The X-Files Book of the Unexplained (1997), and presented her own paranormal TV series, Jane Goldman Investigates, on the channel Living, between 2003 and 2004.

Early life

Goldman was raised in a liberal, middle class family in north London, the only child of a Jewish father and a Buddhist mother.[2] She attended the King Alfred School in Hampstead until the age of 15 before moving to the United States to follow Boy George on tour.[2] Upon her return to the U.K., she took a job as an entertainment reporter with the Daily Star.[2] When she was 16, she met TV presenter Jonathan Ross. They started a relationship and married in 1988, when Goldman was 18 years old. The couple have three children: two daughters and a son.[3]

Professional career

Journalism, books and TV

As a journalist, Goldman worked on newspapers and magazines such as Just Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, The Times, Evening Standard, Zero, Daily Star, Total Guitar, Game Zone and Sega Zone. At the age of 19, she became a freelance writer.[4][5][6]

Goldman also wrote books: Thirteen-Something (1993), Streetsmarts: A Teenagers Safety Guide (1996), Sussed and Streetwise (1997), the two-volume best-selling series The X-Files Book of the Unexplained (1997), her first and only novel Dreamworld (2000)[7] and Do the Right Thing (2007).

Between 2003 and 2004 she had her own television series. Jane Goldman Investigates researched the paranormal and was transmitted by channel Living between 2003 and 2004.[8] Goldman is also in the production team of a number of TV shows, such as The Big Fat Quiz of the Year.[9][10]

Screenwriting and partnership with Matthew Vaughn

She made the jump to screenwriting, and was a part of the writing team for David Baddiel's short-lived sitcom Baddiel's Syndrome, in 2001. Later, she co-wrote the screenplay of Stardust (2007), based on the eponymous novel by Neil Gaiman and directed by Matthew Vaughn. Gaiman introduced Goldman to Vaughn to provide the director some help with the adaptation process. The film received many accolades[11][12] and gave the screenwriters a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form.

After Stardust, Goldman became a frequent collaborator of director Matthew Vaughn, co-writing his next films, the comic book adaptations Kick-Ass (2010) and X-Men: First Class (2011). Both films met strong praise amongst film critics. Kick-Ass enjoys a cult following and X-Men: First Class is considered by many critics the best of all X-Men films up to now. Rotten Tomatoes consensus says: "With a strong script, stylish direction, and powerful performances from its well-rounded cast, X-Men: First Class is a welcome return to form for the franchise."[13][14][15][16]

She continued to work in adaptations, and was also a co-writer with Vaughn and Peter Straughan in the 2011 drama-thriller The Debt, which was based on the 2007 Israeli film HaHov and directed by John Madden. Goldman also adapted for Hammer The Woman in Black, based on Susan Hill's horror novel. This film was directed by James Watkins and it is the first solo screenplay by Goldman.[17] It was released in 2012 and met positive reviews.[18][19] In March 2013, The Woman in Black won the Empire Award for Best Horror.[20]

She is credited on X-Men: Days of Future Past, the sequel to First Class, as writing the story with Matthew Vaughn and Simon Kinberg.[21][22]

With Vaughn, Goldman co-wrote the script for Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015), based on the comic book by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons.[23] She wrote the script for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an adaptation of the Ransom Riggs novel of the same name, which was directed by Tim Burton.

Upcoming projects

Goldman is attached to various upcoming projects, among them are: Nonplayer, an adaptation of the sci-fi comic book by Nate Simpson for Warner Bros.; a rewrite of the Pinocchio screenplay originally written by Bryan Fuller, She is also attached to the adaptation of Anubis, based on a science fiction-comedy short story by Paul Murray.[24][25][26] On 6 December 2017 it was announced that Goldman will write a screenplay for Disney's live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid with Rob Marshall being eyed to direct.[27]

In May 2017, HBO announced that Goldman was one of four writers working on a potential pilot for a Game of Thrones spin-off. In addition to Goldman, Carly Wray, Max Borenstein, and Brian Helgeland were also working on potential pilots.[28] Goldman has been working and communicating with George R. R. Martin, the author of A Song of Ice and Fire, the series of novels upon which the original series is based.[29] Game of Thrones showrunners D. B. Weiss and David Benioff would also be executive producers for whichever project is picked up by HBO.[29][30] In June 2018, it was confirmed that Goldman's pilot had been greenlit by HBO, and would focus on "the world's descent from the golden Age of Heroes into its darkest hour," thousands of years before the events of Game of Thrones.[31] In late October 2019, it was announced that HBO would not be moving forward with the pilot.[32]

Goldman has also written a new adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's Gothic romance Rebecca. The script will be directed by Ben Wheatley.[33]

In popular culture

Alongside her husband, broadcaster Jonathan Ross, Goldman appeared as a character in Neil Gaiman's short story "The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch" in 1996. Gaiman is a personal friend of the couple.[34][35]

Works

Filmography

Year	Film	Credit	Notes	Ref.
2007	Stardust	Screenplay (with Matthew Vaughn)	Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form (shared with Vaughn, Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess)	[36]
2010	Kick-Ass	Screenplay (with Matthew Vaughn), co-producer	Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated – British Independent Film Award for Best Screenplay Nominated – Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Screenplay Nominated – Scream Award for Best Scream-Play
	The Debt	Screenplay (with Matthew Vaughn and Peter Straughan)
2011	James Bond Supports International Women's Day	Screenplay	2 min. short in praise of the International Women's Day. Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, with Daniel Craig and Judi Dench.
	X-Men: First Class	Screenplay (with Matthew Vaughn and Zack Stentz & Ashley Miller)
2012	The Woman in Black	Screenplay	Nominated – Bram Stoker Award for Best Screenplay
2014	X-Men: Days of Future Past	Story (with Matthew Vaughn and Simon Kinberg; screenplay by Simon Kinberg)
	Kingsman: The Secret Service	Screenplay (with Matthew Vaughn), co-producer	Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Writing
2016	Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children	Screenplay
	The Limehouse Golem	Screenplay, executive producer
2017	Kingsman: The Golden Circle	Screenplay (with Matthew Vaughn)
2020	Rebecca	Screenplay	Post-production
TBA	Fables	Screenplay (with Jeremy Slater)
	The Little Mermaid	Screenplay (with David Magee)		[37]

Books

Year	Book	Notes	Notes	Ref.
1993	Thirteen-Something: A Survivor's Guide	Non-fiction / Published by Piccadilly Press Ltd.[38]
1994	Sex: How? Why? What?	Non-fiction / Published by Piccadilly Press Ltd, reprinted by Penguin 1996
1996	Streetsmarts: A Teenager's Safety Guide	Non-fiction / Published by Barrons Juveniles
1997	Sussed and Streetwise: A Teenager's Safety Guide	Non-fiction / Published by Penguin Books
1995	The X-Files Book of the Unexplained – Vol. 1	Non-fiction / Published by Harper Paperbacks
1997	The X-Files Book of the Unexplained – Vol. 2	Non-fiction / Published by Simon & Schuster
2000	Dreamworld	Fiction (Goldman's first novel) / Published by Pocket Books, MTV Books
2003	Do the Right Thing: A Teenager's Survival Guide for Tricky Situations	Non-fiction / Published by Piccadilly Press Ltd.
2008	The X-Files Book of the Unexplained: Volumes 1 and 2	Non-fiction / Published by It Books

Television

Year	TV Programme	Credit/Role	Notes	Ref.
1988	Going Live	'Fashion Expert'
2001	Baddiel's Syndrome	Screenplay		[39]
2003–04	Jane Goldman Investigates	Presenter
2004–	The Big Fat Quiz of the Year	Producer and executive producer
2007	The Big Fat Anniversary Quiz	Producer		[40]
2012	The Big Fat Quiz of the 80s	Executive producer		[41]
2012	The Big Fat Quiz of the 90s	Executive producer		[42]
2012	The Big Fat Quiz of the 00s	Executive producer		[43]
2013	The Big Fat Quiz of the Year	Executive producer
2013	The Big Fat Quiz of the 80s	Executive producer
2013	The Big Fat Quiz of the 90s	Executive producer
2013	The Big Fat Quiz of the Year	Executive producer

References

1. Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.; at ancestry.com
2. "Profile: Jane Goldman". The Scotsman. 27 March 2010.
3. Day, Elizabeth (21 March 2010). "Jane Goldman: Meet the screenwriter of the controversial new film Kick-Ass". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 August 2018.
4. "The Real Me: Jane Goldman reveals all to Nina Myskow". Thefreelibrary.com. 2000. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
5. "Search: Jane Goldman". Aitkenalexander.co.uk. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
6. "Cheat Sheet: Jane Goldman". Best For Film. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
7. Day, Elizabeth (21 March 2010). "Jane Goldman: Meet the screenwriter of the controversial new film Kick-Ass | Interview". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
8. "Jane Goldman - Psychological Thrillers". Psychological Thrillers. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
9. "Jane Goldman Investigates". Epguides.com. 31 July 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
10. Next Time. "Big Fat Quiz". Channel 4. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
11. "Stardust". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
12. "Stardust Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
13. "Kick-Ass". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
14. "Kick-Ass Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
15. "X-Men: First Class". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
16. "Critic Reviews for X-Men: First Class". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
17. Jaafar, Ali (1 February 2010). "Hammer nails film rights, Chiller 'Woman in Black' to be directed by rising Brit". Variety. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
18. "The Woman in Black". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
19. "The Woman in Black Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
20. "Jameson Empire Awards 2013". Empireonline.com. 23 January 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
21. "Jane Goldman Adapting Eisner Award-Winning Comic 'Nonplayer' For Warner Bros". Indiewire. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
22. Alex DiVincenzo (15 February 2011). "Kick-Ass writer adapting Peter Ackroyd's Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem – Horror Movie News | Arrow in the Head". Joblo.com. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
23. "Matthew Vaughn to Direct Adaptation of Mark Millar's THE SECRET SERVICE for 2014 Release". Collider. 20 November 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
24. "Jane Goldman to Rewrite PINOCCHIO for Tim Burton and Robert Downey Jr". Collider. 20 November 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
25. McWeeny, Drew (2 December 2011). "Jane Goldman and Tim Burton team for Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children". Hitfix.com. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
26. Wiseman, Andreas (17 February 2011). "Goldman, Stenham to pen Origin-Film4 co-productions | News | Screen". Screen Daily. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
27. "'The Little Mermaid' Live-Action Disney Reboot Eyes Rob Marshall as Director". Variety.com. Retrieved 6 December 2017.
28. Holloway, Daniel (4 May 2017). "'Game of Thrones' Spinoffs in the Works at HBO". Variety. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
29. Goldberg, Lesley (4 May 2017). "'Game of Thrones': HBO Exploring Four Different Follow-Up Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
30. Blistein, Jon (4 May 2017). "HBO Preps 'Game of Thrones' Spin-Off Series With George R.R. Martin". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
31. Wigler, Josh (8 June 2018). "HBO Orders First 'Game of Thrones' Prequel Pilot". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 June 2018.
32. Wigler, Josh (29 October 2019). "'Game of Thrones': Naomi Watts-Led Prequel Dead at HBO". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
33. Kroll, Justin; Kroll, Justin (14 November 2018). "Lily James, Armie Hammer to Star in Daphne du Maurier Adaptation 'Rebecca'". Variety. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
34. Bruton, Richard (12 June 2008). "Propaganda undertakes a little light reading in Miss Finch". Forbidden Planet Blog. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
35. "Articles tagged "Neil Gaiman"". 365graphicnovels. Retrieved 3 March 2014.
36. "2008 Hugo Award Results Announced". 10 August 2008.
37. Jr, Mike Fleming; Jr, Mike Fleming (6 December 2017). "Rob Marshall Top Choice To Helm Disney's Live Action 'The Little Mermaid'". Deadline. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
38. bda. "- Piccadilly Press". Retrieved 21 March 2017.
39. Culture. "'I've always wanted to be in therapy'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
40. Archived 17 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine
41. "Big Fat Quiz – Big Fat Quiz of the 80s". Channel 4. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
42. "Big Fat Quiz – Big Fat Quiz of the 90s". Channel 4. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
43. "Big Fat Quiz – Big Fat Quiz of the 00s". Channel 4. 30 September 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2013.

External links

• Jane Goldman on IMDb
• Jane Goldman on Twitter