ABOUT DAVID
DAVID S. GOYER has earned a reputation for telling character-driven stories adapted from the otherworldly realms of superheroes, fantasy and the supernatural. His breakout came in 1998 when he wrote the action hit BLADE starring Wesley Snipes, based on the Marvel Comics vampire hunter. Since then, he’s solidified himself as writer and producer who elevates genre driven stories to the next level.
Goyer is currently Executive Producer and serves as Showrunner for one of television’s most epic series, FOUNDATION, which recently premiered its second season on Apple TV+, based on Isaac Asimov’s iconic novels.
On the film side, Goyer has produced hits such as THE NIGHT HOUSE, starring Rebecca Hall, the Scott Derrickson film ANTLERS, and THE TOMORROW WAR, starring Chris Pratt. THE FIRST OMEN, a prequel to the beloved 1976 classic produced by his company Phantom Four Films, is set for theatrical release in 2024.
Previously, Goyer scripted and collaborated with Christopher Nolan on the story for the Superman feature MAN OF STEEL. Goyer also worked with Nolan on the mega-hit DARK KNIGHT trilogy, starting with the screenplay for BATMAN BEGINS. Goyer went on to team with Nolan on the story for the billion-dollar blockbuster THE DARK KNIGHT for which they received a Writers Guild of America Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, followed by the story’s conclusion in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. Additionally, Goyer co-wrote and produced BATMAN V. SUPERMAN, which broke the record for biggest March opening weekend in box office history.
In 2002, Goyer made his feature film directorial debut with the drama ZIGZAG for which he also wrote the screenplay, based on the acclaimed novel by Landon Napoleon. His other directing credits include THE INVISIBLE starring Justin Chatwin and Marcia Gay Harden, and the hit supernatural thriller THE UNBORN, starring Odette Annable and Gary Oldman. In the same year, Goyer wrote 2002’s BLADE II on which he also served as an executive producer. In 2004, he directed, wrote and produced the last of the trilogy, BLADE: TRINITY.
In addition to screenwriting, Goyer made his debut in video games with the story for the smash hit “Call of Duty: Black Ops,” and penned the follow up, “Call of Duty: Black Ops 2” as well as Black Ops: Cold War. Goyer also wrote and executive-produced the groundbreaking VR series VADER IMMORTAL for Lucasfilm and Oculus.
In Television, Goyer’s other work includes the series DA VINCI’S DEMONS, for which he served as Creator, Director, and Executive Producer, focusing on the life of Leonardo da Vinci; CONSTANTINE, KRYPTON; and the cult classic FLASHFORWARD. Goyer also co-wrote the pilot and serves as executive producer for Neil Gaiman’s SANDMAN, which is currently filming its second season.
Highlights
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“Death Warrant”
The film that got me my start. Made on a shoestring amidst some highly questionable accounting practices, Death Warrant turned out to be hugely profitable. It was also notable for its marketing campaign, which had full-page "WHAM-BAM THANK YOU, VAN DAMME" ads in all the major newspapers. So there's that.
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"Blade"
I wrote the script in '94, and it opened many doors for me. For the first time, thanks to Mike De Luca at New Line, I was allowed to write what I wanted to write without having to contend endless rounds of horrible studio development notes.
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ZigZag
The film that launched my directing career. Shot in 25 days around Los Angeles. I'll be forever grateful to John Leguizamo, Oliver Platt, Natasha Lyonne, Wesley Snipes, and the rest of the cast, who agreed to work for scale (meaning peanuts) just because they loved the script.
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Batman Begins
The Batman film I'd dreamed of making ever since I was a teen. Chris Nolan called me and asked me if I wanted to collaborate on a Batman origin tale. I was skeptical because so many Batman films had been developed over the preceding six years and fallen by the wayside. But thanks to Chris' enormous talents, our naturalistic approach struck a chord.
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The Dark Knight
The film that convinced the world superhero films could be "art." The pressure was on to replicate Begins' success, both in style and substance. At the time, it was considered a given that each successive film would showcase the next villain's origin story. So, imagine Warner Brothers' surprise when we told them the Joker wouldn't have an origin. Or rather, he'd have multiple origins, and we'd never know which of them were true
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Flashforward i
Brannon Braga and I developed this at HBO. When it became clear HBO wasn't going to make it, we pleaded to get the project back. Eventually, we took it to market, and a bidding war ensued amongst the networks. We were able to set our terms, one of which was that the pilot script would be filmed as it was, with no changes. I directed the pilot and the second episode – and I'm still proud of the result. But as the season's development continued, the concept got watered down. We were ordered to strip all the serialized elements from the show and focus on the "flash forward case of the week." I bristled, told ABC they were destroying the show, and they fired me. A couple of months later, the show was canceled. Ugh.
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Man of Steel
A month after I was fired from Flashforward, I pitched a Superman reboot to Chris Nolan. Warner Brothers immediately greenlit it. Ironically, I might not have developed the pitch for MOS had I not been newly idle.
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DaVinci’s Demons
The show that made me fall in love with European crews! They only shoot 10-hour days over there (as opposed to 13 or 14 hours in the United States), which is critical if you want to maintain a work/family balance. To this day, many of the cast members remain dear, dear friends (I'm talking to you; Tom, Blake, and Elliot.)
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Vader Immortal
I spent 4 years tunneling down the VR rabbit hole. A fascinating experience and a ground-breaking project in so many ways.
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Foundation
The show I spent my whole career preparing for. Made during the pandemic, a global meltdown, and my mother's death. I've found myself applying lessons I learned on Flashforward, the Dark Knight films, and Da Vinci's Demons.
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