David S Goyer David Goyer is a polymath of a writer, moving freely between big budget films, hit television series, blockbuster games and popular comic books. But Goyer’s original ambition was to be a homicide detective; it was only a speech by writer-director Lawrence Kasdan at Michigan University that changed his mind, and led to him joining the prestigious USC School of Cinema. After an early start as a writer for hire, Goyer happened upon an open writing assignment, which became hit vampire action film, Blade (1998), based on the Marvel comic character. One film became a trilogy, and it was perhaps no surprise that director Christopher Nolan should approach Goyer to work on a reboot of a more familiar comic book hero, Batman. The project kick-started a creative partnership which yielded both international box office success and wide critical acclaim, with Batman Begins (2005) followed by The Dark Knight (2008) and The Dark Knight Rises (2012). 2
Monday 23 September, BFI Southbank
Often exploring the interior struggles of extraordinary characters who have to exist in the real world, Goyer skilfully crafts characters out of icons. As a writer of comic books himself, he clearly knows how to successfully transfer these larger-than-life figures to the big screen. His screenplay for Man Of Steel underpinned one of 2013’s biggest hits, a statement which is true of so much of Goyer’s work. Unusually, for a big Hollywood screenwriter, he’s also successfully turned his hand to writing for games with the popular Call Of Duty: Black Ops series. And his television work is just as distinctive, including Da Vinci’s Demons and FlashForward. GUILLERMO DEL TORO David is something of a pioneer. He has a unique connection with the zeitgeist of US pop culture. He’s capable of fusing a very sophisticated understanding of narrative and mythology with a completely visceral approach to action and dialogue. He creates characters that fuse pulp, comics, hard-boiled fiction and street culture and has an innate understanding of the cultural pulse of the here and now.
The BAFTA and BFI Screenwriters’ Lecture Series