- Occupation: Writer, Director
- Active: '90s-??s
- Major Genres: Action, Horror
- Career Highlights: Dark City, Blade, The Dark Knight
- First Major Screen Credit: Death Warrant (1990)
Biography
Filmmaker David S. Goyer is a master of the dark, brooding brand of off-kilter sci-fi that defined the 1990s before spilling over into the new millennium with such efforts as Blade II. Starting out as a screenwriter, Goyer showed a remarkable talent for bringing comic-book characters to life on the big screen, eventually leading him to the director's chair. He was an active writer from his earliest days, but boredom came fast and furious for the accelerated high-school English student; nevertheless, he soon turned his restlessness to his advantage by striking a deal with teachers to produce one original piece of writing per week in lieu of the general classroom workload. Though Goyer's original intentions to attend Michigan State University and become a homicide investigator were quickly put to rest when his teachers staged a creative intervention, the wake-up call soon proved effective, and he was off to study screenwriting at U.S.C. Film School. A shaky first semester soon gave way to a better understanding of his skills and increasing confidence, though upon graduation in 1988, Goyer's job prospects were bleak due to a writer's strike in Hollywood. A few months after graduation, one of Goyer's scripts was made into the Jean-Claude Van Damme film Death Warrant -- a stroke of luck that allowed the ambitious young writer the opportunity to spend some time on a real Hollywood film set and learn the ropes of moviemaking.Goyer subsequently churned out scripts for such lowbrow fare as Demonic Toys and Arcade, but his dark and quirky sensibilities were soon tapped when the writer was asked to pen screenplays for both The Crow: City of Angels and Dark City. Though The Crow: City of Angels died a painful death at the box office, Dark City offered a complex and compelling sci-fi-flavored tale of memory loss and one man's quest to discover his past -- in addition to gaining positive critical notice, it also gained a notable cult following. In Goyer's own words, his most transitional script was that of the 1998 Stephen Norrington film Blade. Starring Wesley Snipes as the eponymous comic-book vampire slayer, the film proved an unchallenged hit -- quickly elevating its writer to A-list status. In addition to penning the screenplay for the decidedly more low-key drama Zigzag, Goyer also opted to make his directorial debut with the film. By the time the third film in the Blade franchise was set to go before the camera, Goyer was confident enough in his directorial skills to step up to the plate and follow in the footsteps of Norrington and Blade II director Guillermo del Toro by helming Blade: Trinity. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
