Jonathan Goldstein

Jonathan Goldstein (birthname: Jonathan Michael Goldstein) is a writer-director-producer who has specialized in comedy, working consistently with creative partner John Francis Daley. After having directed two short films, Goldstein co-wrote Horrible Bosses (2011) with Daley (based on Michael Markowitz’s story), launching his feature film career.

Goldstein co-wrote the screenplay of (with Daley) the Vegas spoof comedy, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (2013), followed by the animated sequel Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013), whose script was co-written by Goldstein with Daley, and Erica Rivinoja.

Goldstein wrote the original story only (with Daley) of Horrible Bosses 2 (2014), with additional story writing by director Sean Anders and co-screenwriter John Morris. For the first time, Jonathan Goldstein got his first feature as co-writer and director (again with partner Daley) with Vacation (2015), starring Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Leslie Mann, Beverly D’Angelo, and Chevy Chase, grossing over triple $31 million costs with a $107.2 million box office.

With partner Daley, Jonathan Goldstein wrote the story for the MCU hit, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), and co-wrote the screenplay with director Jon Watts (and credited co-screenwriters Christopher Ford, Chris McKenna, and Erik Sommers), starring Tom Holland, Robert Downey Jr., Michael Keaton, Jon Favreau, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Zendaya.

Goldstein (with Daley) was hired by New Line Cinema to rewrite and co-direct the hit action comedy, Game Night (2018), and though they didn’t receive script credit, the pair reported that they rewrote “almost all of the original script dialogue, totally overhauled the characters…and comprehensively reworked the original script’s third act.”

Game Night co-starred Jason Bateman (originally slated to direct and also serving as a lead producer), Rachel McAdams, Billy Magnussen, Jesse Plemons, Michael C. Hall, and Kyle Chandler, and earning $117.7 million, triple the $37 million budget.

Jonathan Goldstein proceeded to co-write and co-direct (with partner Daley) the $151-million-budgeted Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023), the reboot of the original Dungeons & Dragons franchise which Goldstein and Daley shared screenwriting credit with Michael Gillo, and starred Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez, with Regé-Jean Page, Justice Smith, Sophia Lillis, and Hugh Grant. With Daley, Goldstein co-wrote (with third credited writer Joby Harold) the story for The Flash (2023), directed by Andy Muschietti and starring Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, and Ron Livingston.