Jane Goldman

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 (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) and Do the Right Thing (2007).

Between 2003 and 2004 she had her own television series. Jane Goldman Investigates researched about the paranormal and was transmitted by channel Living. 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 (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 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."

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. 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 X-Men: Days of Future Past, the sequel to First Class, as writing the story with Matthew Vaughn and Simon Kinberg.

With Vaughn, Goldman co-wrote the script for Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015), 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 4 May 2017 HBO announced that Goldman is 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 are 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. Current Game of Thrones showrunners D. B. Weiss and David Benioff would also be executive producers for whichever project is picked up by HBO.

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.

Goldman appears in the video documentary Children of the Atom: Filming X-Men: First Class.