David S. Goyer
Encyclopedia
David Samuel Goyer is an American screenwriter
, film director
and comic book
writer.
. He attended Hebrew school
and has described himself as "half Jewish". Goyer is an alumnus of Huron High School and the University of Southern California
, graduating from the School of Cinema-Television
in 1988.
Goyer was a student of screenwriter Nelson Gidding
at USC
and frequently returned to Gidding's class as a guest speaker. He graduated in 1988 and sold his first screenplay for Death Warrant
in 1989. With his first paycheck, he bought a new Isuzu Trooper
, which was stolen
the very first night he drove it home.
, Ghost Rider
, Batman Begins
, The Dark Knight
, The Flash, and Blade.
Goyer wrote a title based around the Justice Society of America
for DC Comics
titled JSA
, which debuted in August 1999. For the first five issues, he collaborated with James Robinson
and, until his departure following issue 51, with Geoff Johns
, who would take over as solo writer.
Goyer is co-creator with Brannon Braga
of FlashForward
, a science fiction TV series that premiered on ABC in Fall 2009. The show is based on the novel by Robert J. Sawyer
. He stepped in as show runner
in October 2009 after the show struggled out of the gate. On Feb. 5, 2010, Goyer announced he would be stepping down as FlashForward showrunner to focus on feature films and directing. Replacing him as showrunners are Jessika Borsiczky, Lisa Zwerling and Timothy J. Lea.
In 2011, Goyer wrote a short story titled "The Incident" in which Superman renounces his U.S. citizenship.
Goyer has recently been working with Legendary Pictures
on three of their upcoming projects. He finished writing the script for Superman: The Man of Steel and The Dark Knight Rises
. He recently was attached to write the script for Legendary Pictures' Godzilla reboot on July 2011 but was replaced by a new writer on November 2011.
In late October 2011 cable channel Starz and BBC Worldwide
has greenlit his new project called Da Vinci’s Demons. The project will follow the life of a 25-year old Leonardo Da Vinci
. "This will be a show about secret histories, genius, madness and all things profane," according to Goyer.
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
writer.
Early life
Goyer was born and raised in Ann Arbor, MichiganAnn Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
. He attended Hebrew school
Hebrew school
Hebrew school can be either the Jewish equivalent of Sunday school - an educational regimen separate from secular education, focusing on topics of Jewish history and learning the Hebrew language, or a primary, secondary or college level educational institution where some or all of the classes are...
and has described himself as "half Jewish". Goyer is an alumnus of Huron High School and the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
, graduating from the School of Cinema-Television
USC School of Cinematic Arts
The USC School of Cinematic Arts, until 2006 named the School of Cinema-Television , is a film school within the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. It is the oldest and largest such school in the United States, established in 1929 as a joint venture with the Academy of...
in 1988.
Goyer was a student of screenwriter Nelson Gidding
Nelson Gidding
Nelson Roosevelt Gidding was an American screenwriter specializing in adaptations. A longtime collaboration with director Robert Wise began with Gidding's screenplay for I Want To Live! , which earned him an Oscar nomination...
at USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
and frequently returned to Gidding's class as a guest speaker. He graduated in 1988 and sold his first screenplay for Death Warrant
Death Warrant
Death Warrant is a 1990 action movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The film was written by David S. Goyer while a student at USC, and was Goyer's first screenplay to be sold and produced commercially.-Plot summary:...
in 1989. With his first paycheck, he bought a new Isuzu Trooper
Isuzu Trooper
The Isuzu Trooper was a mid-size SUV produced by the Japanese automaker Isuzu between 1981 and 2005. It was exported worldwide as the Isuzu Bighorn, Isuzu Trooper, Isuzu Trooper II , Caribe 442, Acura SLX, Chevrolet Trooper, Subaru Bighorn, Honda Horizon, Opel/Vauxhall Monterey, Holden Jackaroo,...
, which was stolen
Motor vehicle theft
Motor vehicle theft is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle...
the very first night he drove it home.
Career
Goyer has written several screenplays based on numerous comic book series, among them Doctor StrangeDoctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, and first appeared in Strange Tales #110 ....
, Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider (film)
Ghost Rider is a 2007 superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the character of the same name which appeared in Marvel Comics, the film stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who sells his soul to the Devil and transforms into thevigilante Ghost...
, Batman Begins
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
, The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight (film)
The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins...
, The Flash, and Blade.
Goyer wrote a title based around the Justice Society of America
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
for DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
titled JSA
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
, which debuted in August 1999. For the first five issues, he collaborated with James Robinson
James Dale Robinson
James Dale Robinson is a British writer of comic books and screenplays who is also known for his interest in vintage collectibles and memorabilia. His style is described as smart and energetic, built upon his vast knowledge of obscure continuity from the period known to fans and historians as the...
and, until his departure following issue 51, with Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns
Geoff Johns is an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics, where he has been Chief Creative Officer since February 2010, in particular for characters such as Green Lantern, The Flash and Superman...
, who would take over as solo writer.
Goyer is co-creator with Brannon Braga
Brannon Braga
Brannon Braga is an American television producer and screenwriter, currently working as showrunner and executive producer on Terra Nova...
of FlashForward
Flashforward
A flashforward is an interjected scene that takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards are often used to represent events expected, projected, or imagined to occur in the future...
, a science fiction TV series that premiered on ABC in Fall 2009. The show is based on the novel by Robert J. Sawyer
Robert J. Sawyer
Robert James Sawyer is a Canadian science fiction writer. He has had 20 novels published, and his short fiction has appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Amazing Stories, On Spec, Nature, and many anthologies. Sawyer has won over forty awards for his fiction, including the Nebula Award ,...
. He stepped in as show runner
Show runner
Showrunner is a term of art originating in the United States and Canadian television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television seriesalthough such persons generally are credited as an executive producer...
in October 2009 after the show struggled out of the gate. On Feb. 5, 2010, Goyer announced he would be stepping down as FlashForward showrunner to focus on feature films and directing. Replacing him as showrunners are Jessika Borsiczky, Lisa Zwerling and Timothy J. Lea.
In 2011, Goyer wrote a short story titled "The Incident" in which Superman renounces his U.S. citizenship.
Goyer has recently been working with Legendary Pictures
Legendary Pictures
Legendary Pictures is an American film production company, whose parent company, Legendary Entertainment, is based in Burbank, California and was founded by Thomas Tull in 2004...
on three of their upcoming projects. He finished writing the script for Superman: The Man of Steel and The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight Rises is an upcoming epic superhero film. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film will be the third and final installment in Nolan's Batman film series, and is a sequel to Batman Begins and The Dark Knight...
. He recently was attached to write the script for Legendary Pictures' Godzilla reboot on July 2011 but was replaced by a new writer on November 2011.
In late October 2011 cable channel Starz and BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide
BBC Worldwide Limited is the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the British Broadcasting Corporation, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in 1995. In the year to 31 March 2010 it made a profit of £145m on a turnover of £1.074bn. The company had made a profit of £106m...
has greenlit his new project called Da Vinci’s Demons. The project will follow the life of a 25-year old Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
. "This will be a show about secret histories, genius, madness and all things profane," according to Goyer.
Films
- Death WarrantDeath WarrantDeath Warrant is a 1990 action movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The film was written by David S. Goyer while a student at USC, and was Goyer's first screenplay to be sold and produced commercially.-Plot summary:...
(1990) - Kickboxer 2: The Road Back (1991)
- Demonic ToysDemonic ToysDemonic Toys is a film produced by Charles Band's Full Moon Entertainment and released in 1992. The film features small, killer toys similar to those seen in Puppet Master, a film which Band produced in 1989. Demonic Toys, like many other Full Moon releases, never had a theatrical release and went...
(1992) - ArcadeArcade (film)Arcade is the title of a B-science fiction/horror film released in 1993. Produced by Full Moon Entertainment, the film features a heavy use of CGI, which was fully redone after the film was completed due to producer Charles Band and director Albert Pyun not being satisfied with the end result...
(1993) - Dollman vs. Demonic ToysDollman vs. Demonic ToysDollman vs. Demonic Toys is a low-budget independent 1993 horror film in the B movie category, that went straight to video and never had a theatrical release...
(1993) - The Puppet MastersThe Puppet Masters (film)The Puppet Masters is a 1994 science fiction film, adapted by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, and David S. Goyer from Robert A. Heinlein’s 1951 novel of the same title, in which a trio of American government agents attempts to thwart a covert invasion of Earth by mind-controlling alien parasites...
(1994) - The Crow: City of AngelsThe Crow: City of AngelsThe Crow: City of Angels is a 1996 action film directed by Tim Pope. It is a sequel to the 1994 cult film The Crow.-Plot:The film is set in Los Angeles, where drug king Judah Earl controls it all...
(1996) - Dark City (1998)
- BladeBlade (film)Blade is a 1998 vampire superhero action horror starring Wesley Snipes and Stephen Dorff, loosely based on the Marvel Comics character Blade. The film was directed by Stephen Norrington and written by David S. Goyer. Blade grossed $70 million at the U.S. box office, and $131.2 million worldwide...
(1998) - ZigZagZigZag (film)ZigZag is a 2002 film directed by David S. Goyer. The film was shot in Los Angeles, CA.-Plot:Dean Singer has terminal cancer, yet is determined to spend his last days taking care of his 15 year-old 'big brother program' protégé, Louis 'Zig Zag' Fletcher. Dean got Louis a dishwasher job in...
(2002) - Blade IIBlade IIBlade II is a 2002 superhero vampire film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character Blade. It is the sequel of the Blade film series. It was written by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the previous film...
(2002) - Blade: TrinityBlade: TrinityBlade: Trinity is a 2004 American superhero vampire action film, written and directed by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the screenplays to the first two Blade films...
(2004) - Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys (2004)
- Batman BeginsBatman BeginsBatman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
(2005) - JumperJumper (film)Jumper is a 2008 American science fiction film, loosely based on the 1992 science fiction novel of the same name by Steven Gould. The film is directed by Doug Liman and stars Hayden Christensen, Samuel L. Jackson, Jamie Bell, Rachel Bilson, Max Thieriot, AnnaSophia Robb, and Diane Lane...
(2008) - The Dark KnightThe Dark Knight (film)The Dark Knight is a 2008 superhero film directed, produced and co-written by Christopher Nolan. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is part of Nolan's Batman film series and a sequel to 2005's Batman Begins...
(2008) story - The Unborn (2009)
- Ghost Rider: Spirit of VengeanceGhost Rider: Spirit of VengeanceGhost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is an upcoming 3D superhero film based on the Marvel Comics antihero Ghost Rider, scheduled to be released in theaters on February 17, 2012. The film is a loose sequel to the 2007 film Ghost Rider. It will be directed by Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor. Nicolas...
(2012) story - The Dark Knight RisesThe Dark Knight RisesThe Dark Knight Rises is an upcoming epic superhero film. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film will be the third and final installment in Nolan's Batman film series, and is a sequel to Batman Begins and The Dark Knight...
(2012) story - The Man of Steel (2013)
- Godzilla (TBA)
- The Invisible Man (2012)
Television
- SleepwalkersSleepwalkers (TV series)Sleepwalkers was a science fiction series which began airing on NBC in late 1997. It told the story of a team of researchers who used technology to enter the dreams of psychiatric patients in order to diagnose their problems....
episode "Pilot" - Nick Fury: Agent of Shield (1998)
- FreakyLinksFreakyLinksFreakyLinks was an American television show that combined elements of horror, mystery, and comedy. It aired on the Fox Network from October 2000 until June 2001, for a total run of 13 episodes...
episode "Subject: Fearsum" (2000) - ThresholdThreshold (TV series)Threshold was a science fiction drama television series that first aired on CBS in September 2005. Produced by Brannon Braga, David S. Goyer and David Heyman, the series focuses on a secret government project investigating the first contact with an extraterrestrial species.The series was first...
episode "Trees Made of Glass: Part 2" (2005) - Blade: The SeriesBlade: The SeriesBlade: The Series is a 2006 American live-action television program based on the Marvel Comics character and film series. It premiered on Spike on June 28, 2006...
episodes "Pilot", "Death Goes On", "Descent", "Bloodlines", "The Evil Within", "Delivery", "Sacrifice", "Turn of the Screw", "Angels & Demons", "Hunters", "Monsters", and "Conclave" (2006) - FlashForwardFlashforwardA flashforward is an interjected scene that takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards are often used to represent events expected, projected, or imagined to occur in the future...
(Co-creator with Brannon BragaBrannon BragaBrannon Braga is an American television producer and screenwriter, currently working as showrunner and executive producer on Terra Nova...
, premiered on ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
in Fall 2009)
Director
- ZigZagZigZag (film)ZigZag is a 2002 film directed by David S. Goyer. The film was shot in Los Angeles, CA.-Plot:Dean Singer has terminal cancer, yet is determined to spend his last days taking care of his 15 year-old 'big brother program' protégé, Louis 'Zig Zag' Fletcher. Dean got Louis a dishwasher job in...
(2002) - Blade: TrinityBlade: TrinityBlade: Trinity is a 2004 American superhero vampire action film, written and directed by David S. Goyer, who also wrote the screenplays to the first two Blade films...
(2004) - ThresholdThreshold (TV series)Threshold was a science fiction drama television series that first aired on CBS in September 2005. Produced by Brannon Braga, David S. Goyer and David Heyman, the series focuses on a secret government project investigating the first contact with an extraterrestrial species.The series was first...
episode "Trees Made of Glass: Part 1" (2005) - The InvisibleThe Invisible (film)The Invisible is a 2007 American supernatural thriller teen film starring Justin Chatwin, Margarita Levieva, Chris Marquette, Marcia Gay Harden, and Callum Keith Rennie...
(2007) - The Unborn (2009)
Producer
- Kickboxer 2: The Road Back (1991)
- SleepwalkersSleepwalkers (TV series)Sleepwalkers was a science fiction series which began airing on NBC in late 1997. It told the story of a team of researchers who used technology to enter the dreams of psychiatric patients in order to diagnose their problems....
(1997–1998) - Mission to MarsMission to MarsMission to Mars is a 2000 science fiction film directed by Brian De Palma from an original screenplay written by Jim Thomas, John Thomas, and Graham Yost. The film's story details a fictional portrayal of a manned Mars exploration mission gone awry in the year 2020...
(2000) - ThresholdThreshold (TV series)Threshold was a science fiction drama television series that first aired on CBS in September 2005. Produced by Brannon Braga, David S. Goyer and David Heyman, the series focuses on a secret government project investigating the first contact with an extraterrestrial species.The series was first...
(2005) - Blade: The SeriesBlade: The SeriesBlade: The Series is a 2006 American live-action television program based on the Marvel Comics character and film series. It premiered on Spike on June 28, 2006...
(2006) - Ghost RiderGhost Rider (film)Ghost Rider is a 2007 superhero film written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson. Based on the character of the same name which appeared in Marvel Comics, the film stars Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze, a stunt motorcyclist who sells his soul to the Devil and transforms into thevigilante Ghost...
(2007)