Jane Goldman

Jane Goldman
Goldman at the British Academy Television Awards 2009.
Born	Jane Loretta Anne Goldman (1970-06-11) 11 June 1970 Hammersmith, London, England, UK
Occupation	Screenwriter, author and producer
Years active	1993–present
Known for	Writing: Stardust (2007) Kick-Ass (2010) X-Men: First Class (2011) The Woman in Black (2012) Presenting: Jane Goldman Investigates (2003–04)
Spouse(s)	Jonathan Ross (1988-present; 3 children)

Jane Loretta Anne Goldman^[1] (born 11 June 1970) is an English screenwriter, author and producer. She is mostly known for co-writing with Matthew Vaughn the screenplays of Stardust (2007), Kick-Ass (2010) and X-Men: First Class (2011). Both met high critical praise for their partnership works. The Woman in Black (2012) is the first solo screenplay by Goldman. She is also known for writing the books The X-Files Book of the Unexplained and Dreamworld, and presenting her own paranormal TV series, Jane Goldman Investigates, on the channel Living, between 2003 and 2004.

At this moment, Jane Goldman is linked to many projects. X-Men: Days of Future Past (the sequel to First Class and X-Men: The Last Stand) and The Secret Service (adaptation of the homonymous comic book by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons) are two of them. Both films are partnerships with Matthew Vaughn. The first is set to be released in 2014 and the second in 2015.

Early life

Jane Goldman was born in Hammersmith, London, the daughter of Amanda and Stuart Goldman. At the age of 13, she was sent by her parents, willingly, to a tutorial college where she did her O levels in journalism.

During her job at the Daily Star, at the age of 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. The family lives in Hampstead Garden Suburb, London.

Professional career

Journalism, books and TV

As a journalist, Goldman worked to newspapers and magazines such as Just Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, The Times, Evening Standard, Zero, Daily Star and Total Guitar. At the age of 19, she became a freelance writer.^[2][3][4]

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.^[5][6]

Screenwriting and partnership with Matthew Vaughn

She eventually 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 homonymous novel by Neil Gaiman and directed by Matthew Vaughn. Gaiman introduced Goldman to Vaughn in order to provide the director some help with the adaptation process.^[7] The film received many accolades^[8][9] and gave the screenwriters a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form.^[10]

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."^{[11][12][13][14]}

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.^[15] It was released in 2012 and met positive reviews.^[16][17] In March 2013, The Woman in Black won the Empire Award for Best Horror.^[18]

Upcoming projects

Jane Goldman is attached to many upcoming projects: Nonplayer, a sci-fic for Warner Bros., adaptation of the comic book by Nate Simpson; Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem, adaptation of the novel by Peter Ackroyd; a rewrite in the Pinocchio screenplay firstly written by Bryan Fuller, and an adaptation of the novel Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs. The latter will be directed by Tim Burton. She is also attached to the adaptation of Anubis, based on a science fiction-comedy short story by Paul Murray, and to X-Men: Days of Future Past, the sequel to First Class, writing the story with producer Matthew Vaughn and Simon Kinberg.^{[19][20][21][22][23][24]}

In March 2013, it was reported that Goldman wrote with Vaughn the script The Secret Service, based on the comic book by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons.^[25]

In popular culture

Alongside her husband, 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.^[26][27]

Works

Filmography

Books

Television

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jane Goldman.

• Jane Goldman at the Internet Movie Database
• Jane Goldman on Twitter