This article was taken from the March 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
So you're a fan of Kick-Ass and X-Men? That means you're also a fan of Jane Goldman. Not only is she married to noted comic-book aficionado Jonathan Ross, Goldman is also the screenwriter behind every comic book turned Matthew Vaughn-directed movie. The pair first teamed up in 2007 on an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's book Stardust, and in January the partnership continues with Kingsman: The Secret Service, about a London street kid recruited as a super-spy. Think Harry Potter by way of James Bond. As with those other flicks, don't expect a movie that's overly faithful to the source material. "There are always going to be changes between the page and the screen," says Mark Millar, who wrote the Kick-Ass and
Secret Service comics. "But with Jane and Matthew, they're in the service of the story."
So what kinds of changes make a solid adaptation? "It's keeping the source material alive while making something movie-shaped,"
Goldman says. "I like it when characters respond to things that are outrageous and movie-like in an authentic way." Her scripts revel in those juxtapositions, like superheroes discussing breakfast cereal (Kick-Ass): "It's reversing expectations."
Among her next projects is an adaptation of Rebecca. Daphne du Maurier's Gothic novel helped Goldman realise that women could write, she says -- and not just Austen-like love stories but genres such as horror and mystery. Add kick-ass comic adaptations to the list.
Kingsman: The Secret Service is in cinemas January 29
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
