Jane Goldman Biography

Jane Loretta Anne Goldman (born 11 June 1970) is an English screenwriter, author and producer. She is mostly known for co-writing, with Matthew Vaughn, the screenplays of Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015), X-Men: First Class (2011), Kick-Ass (2010) and Stardust (2007). 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 Dreamworld (2000) and The X-Files Book of the Unexplained (1997), and presenting her own paranormal TV series, Jane Goldman Investigates, on the channel Living, between 2003 and 2004.

Goldman worked on the story of X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), the sequel to First Class, and on the screenplay of Kingsman: The Secret Service (the 2015 adaptation of the comic book by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons). Both films were partnerships with Matthew Vaughn. Goldman also wrote the script for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, a 2016 film adaption of the novel, for Tim Burton.

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 (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.; Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem, an adaptation of the novel by Peter Ackroyd; 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.

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.

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) Glamour Magazine Women of the Year Award for Best Filmmaker
2010	Kick-Ass	Screenplay (with Matthew Vaughn), co-producer	Glamour Magazine Women of the Year Award for Best Filmmaker Total Film Magazine Award for Best Writer Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Original Screenplay Women in Film and TV (The UK Film Council Writing Award) Nominated - British Independent Film Award for Best Screenplay Nominated - Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Screenplay
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.
2011	X-Men: First Class	Screenplay (with Matthew Vaughn and Zack Stentz & Ashley Miller)
2011	The Debt	Screenplay (with Matthew Vaughn and Peter Straughan)
2012	The Woman in Black	Screenplay
2013	Kick-Ass 2	Producer
2014	X-Men: Days of Future Past	Story (with Matthew Vaughn and Simon Kinberg; screenplay by Simon Kinberg)
2015	Kingsman: The Secret Service	Screenplay (with Matthew Vaughn)
2016	Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children	Screenplay
2017	Kingsman: The Golden Circle	Screenplay (with Matthew Vaughn)
TBA	Fables	Screenplay (with Jeremy Slater)

Books

Year	Book	Notes	Notes	Ref.
1993	Thirteen-Something: A Survivor's Guide	Non-fiction / Published by Piccadilly Press Ltd.
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	Nominated - Writers' Guild Award
1997	The X-Files Book of the Unexplained - Vol. 2	Non-fiction / Published by Simon & Schuster	Nominated - Nibbie Award
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
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
2012	The Big Fat Quiz of the 80s	Executive producer
2012	The Big Fat Quiz of the 90s	Executive producer
2012	The Big Fat Quiz of the 00s	Executive producer
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