Jane Loretta Anne Goldman is an English screenwriter, author and producer. With Matthew Vaughn, she co-wrote the screenplays of ' and its sequel ', as well as ', Kick-Ass and Stardust. Goldman also worked on the story of ', the sequel to First Class, in partnership with Vaughn. Both met high critical praise for their partnership works. Goldman's first solo screenplay was The Woman in Black. 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 and The X-Files Book of the Unexplained, and presented her own paranormal TV series, Jane Goldman Investigates, on the channelLiving, 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. 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. Upon her return to the U.K., she took a job as an entertainment reporter with the Daily Star. 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.
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. Goldman also wrote books: Thirteen-Something, Streetsmarts: A Teenagers Safety Guide, Sussed and Streetwise, the two-volume best-selling series The X-Files Book of the Unexplained, her first and only novel Dreamworld and Do the Right Thing. 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. Goldman is also in the production team of a number of TV shows, such as The Big Fat Quiz of the Year.
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, 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 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 and '. 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." 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 HammerThe 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. It was released in 2012 and met positive reviews. In March 2013, The Woman in Black won the Empire Award for Best Horror. She is credited on ', the sequel to First Class, as writing the story with Matthew Vaughn and Simon Kinberg. With Vaughn, Goldman co-wrote the script for , based on the comic book by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. 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. 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. 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. 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. Game of Thrones showrunners D. B. Weiss and David Benioff would also be executive producers for whichever project is picked up by HBO. 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. In late October 2019, it was announced that HBO would not be moving forward with the pilot. Goldman has also written a new adaptation of Daphne du Maurier'sGothic romanceRebecca. The script will be directed by Ben Wheatley.
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.
