# Jonathan Goldstein (filmmaker)
**Jonathan Michael Goldstein** (born 1968) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer who works as one half of the filmmaking duo Goldstein & Daley with [John Francis Daley](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-francis-daley).[1](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb16602341x) • [2](https://www.productionlist.com/production-role/jonathan-goldstein) Born in New York City, he is known in credit databases for *Spider-Man: Homecoming* (2017), *Horrible Bosses* (2011), and *Game Night* (2018),[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0326246/bio/) • [4](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1236679-jonathan-goldstein) and he directed *Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves* (2023).[1](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb16602341x) • [5](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0326246/)
The details that fix his identity are consistent across a national-library authority record, [Harvard Law School](https://www.edgepedia.org/harvard-law-school) alumni profiles, and industry credit databases: the full name Jonathan Michael Goldstein, the September 2, 1968 birth date, United States nationality, and a screenography running from sitcom writing to studio features.[1](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb16602341x) • [6](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/filmmaker-jonathan-goldsteins-road-from-harvard-law-to-hollywood/) He is sometimes credited as Jonathan M. Goldstein, a shortened form the French national library's record explicitly lists as rejected.[1](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb16602341x) • [5](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0326246/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name, birth | Jonathan Michael Goldstein, born 1968, New York City; American screenwriter, director, and producer[1](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb16602341x) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0326246/bio/) |
| Education | Undergraduate degree in German literature; Harvard Law School class of 1995; practiced at a top corporate law firm before moving to Los Angeles in 1998[6](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/filmmaker-jonathan-goldsteins-road-from-harvard-law-to-hollywood/) • [7](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/lasting-laughs/) |
| Partnership | Met John Francis Daley while writing for *The Geena Davis Show*; the two cowrote the 2011 hit *Horrible Bosses* and by *Mayday* had collaborated on 10 other feature films[6](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/filmmaker-jonathan-goldsteins-road-from-harvard-law-to-hollywood/) |
| Directing debut | *Vacation* (2015), co-written and co-directed with Daley; it grossed more than $100 million worldwide[7](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/lasting-laughs/) • [8](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/vacation-duo-jonathan-goldstein-john-francis-daley-write-new-line-comedy-game-night-896852/) |
| Game Night (2018) | *Game Night* (2018), co-directed for New Line; recorded as a critical and financial success[8](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/vacation-duo-jonathan-goldstein-john-francis-daley-write-new-line-comedy-game-night-896852/) • [4](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1236679-jonathan-goldstein) |
| 2023 franchise film | Director, executive producer, and screenplay writer of *Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves*, with songwriting credits on two of its songs[5](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0326246/) |
| Recent and upcoming projects | *Mayday* (Apple TV+, premiered September 4, 2026) with Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh, and a new *Star Trek* film to write, produce, and direct[6](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/filmmaker-jonathan-goldsteins-road-from-harvard-law-to-hollywood/) • [2](https://www.productionlist.com/production-role/jonathan-goldstein) |
## Identifying the subject
The filmmaker Jonathan Michael Goldstein should be distinguished from other people who share his name by three identifiers that appear together in independent records: the full name, the September 2, 1968 birth date, and the specific credit history described below. The [Bibliothèque nationale de France](https://www.edgepedia.org/bibliotheque-nationale-de-france)'s authority record gives the full name, the birth date, United States nationality, and the three professional functions of screenwriter, director, and producer.[1](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb16602341x) IMDb's biography adds the birthplace, New York City, and names *Spider-Man: Homecoming*, *Horrible Bosses*, and *Game Night* as his known works.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0326246/bio/)
Credit records describe him as working as one half of the duo Goldstein & Daley, alongside John Francis Daley.[2](https://www.productionlist.com/production-role/jonathan-goldstein) The Movie Database identifies him as an American filmmaker best known for *Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves*, *Game Night*, *Spider-Man: Homecoming*, and *Horrible Bosses*.[4](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1236679-jonathan-goldstein)
## Early life and education
Goldstein earned an undergraduate degree in [German literature](https://www.edgepedia.org/german-literature) before attending Harvard Law School, from which he graduated in 1995, and he then practiced at a top corporate law firm.[6](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/filmmaker-jonathan-goldsteins-road-from-harvard-law-to-hollywood/) At Harvard Law he wrote humorous columns for *The Harvard Law Record* with his friend Ted Cohen, class of 1995, who landed a writing job on the television show *Friends*.[7](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/lasting-laughs/)
**From law to script reading.** Goldstein quit his New York law-firm job in 1998 and moved to Los Angeles, where he read scripts for talent agencies for around $400 a week with no benefits.[7](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/lasting-laughs/) IMDb records that he has been married to Adena Halpern since August 26, 2007, and that they have one child.[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0326246/bio/)
## The Daley–Goldstein partnership
Goldstein met John Francis Daley while writing for *The Geena Davis Show*, on which Daley was one of the young stars. Recognizing that they had similar comedic sensibilities, the two began working together professionally several years later and eventually cowrote the breakout hit *Horrible Bosses* (2011).[6](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/filmmaker-jonathan-goldsteins-road-from-harvard-law-to-hollywood/) The production-tracking database Production List describes Goldstein as working within this duo, and a former corporate litigator who pivoted to television comedy writing before breaking into features.[2](https://www.productionlist.com/production-role/jonathan-goldstein)
The duo's credits are shared throughout. They were co-screenwriters on *Horrible Bosses*, co-writers on *The Incredible Burt Wonderstone* (2013), co-story writers on *[Horrible Bosses 2](https://www.edgepedia.org/horrible-bosses-2)* (2014), co-writers and co-directors on *[Vacation](https://www.edgepedia.org/vacation-2015-film)* (2015), shared co-writers on *Spider-Man: Homecoming* (2017) alongside other screenwriters, and co-directors of the 2018 black comedy *Game Night*.[4](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1236679-jonathan-goldstein)
## Screenwriting career
**Television.** Before his feature career, Goldstein wrote for situation comedies including *The PJ's*, starring [Eddie Murphy](https://www.edgepedia.org/eddie-murphy); *The Geena Davis Show*; *Good Morning, Miami*; *Four Kings*; and *The New Adventures of Old Christine*.[4](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1236679-jonathan-goldstein)
**Sold features.** After the sitcom years he sold film scripts co-written with Daley, including *Horrible Bosses*, *Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2*, and *The Incredible Burt Wonderstone*.[7](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/lasting-laughs/) The Danish Film Institute's database records his script credits on *Horrible Bosses* (2011) and *Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2* (2013).[9](https://www.dfi.dk/en/viden-om-film/filmdatabasen/person/jonathan-goldstein)
**Studio work and shared credit.** Goldstein and Daley wrote the script for *Spider-Man: Homecoming*, the 2017 [Spider-Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/spider-man) film.[8](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/vacation-duo-jonathan-goldstein-john-francis-daley-write-new-line-comedy-game-night-896852/) IMDbPro credits Goldstein with the screen story for *The Flash* (2023); in a *Game Night* press interview he said the two were then only in early talks on that project and that he had collected *The Flash* comic books as a reader.[5](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0326246/) • [10](https://weliveentertainment.com/welivefilm/game-night-interview-directors-john-francis-daley-jonathan-goldstein/) He also holds a "written by" credit on *[Vacation Friends](https://www.edgepedia.org/vacation-friends)* (2021), under the name Jonathan M. Goldstein, and a credit on *Vacation Friends 2* (2023) for writing based on characters he created.[5](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0326246/)
**Uncredited and polish work.** IMDbPro documents several contributions that carry no on-screen credit: script revisions on *Tammy* (2014), uncredited script revisions on *Game Night* itself, creative consultant on *The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run* (2020), and uncredited additional literary material on *A Minecraft Movie* (2025).[5](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0326246/) On the production side, the trade press reported the duo producing the action comedy *Stuber* for Fox,[8](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/vacation-duo-jonathan-goldstein-john-francis-daley-write-new-line-comedy-game-night-896852/) and IMDbPro lists Goldstein as producer (p.g.a.) of the 2019 film.[5](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0326246/)
## Directing career
**Vacation (2015).** Goldstein made his directorial debut with *Vacation*, a sequel to the 1983 comedy *National Lampoon's Vacation* and the fifth film in that series, co-written and co-directed with Daley.[7](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/lasting-laughs/) • [4](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1236679-jonathan-goldstein) [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter) recorded that the debut grossed more than $100 million worldwide.[8](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/vacation-duo-jonathan-goldstein-john-francis-daley-write-new-line-comedy-game-night-896852/)
**Game Night (2018).** The duo was hired to rewrite and direct the New Line comedy *Game Night*, on which [Jason Bateman](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-bateman) was a producer; the project had been set up at New Line in 2013, and the two reunited with Bateman after working with him on *Horrible Bosses*, which they wrote.[8](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/vacation-duo-jonathan-goldstein-john-francis-daley-write-new-line-comedy-game-night-896852/) The Danish Film Institute records their direction of the 2018 feature,[9](https://www.dfi.dk/en/viden-om-film/filmdatabasen/person/jonathan-goldstein) and TMDB notes that the film met with critical and financial success.[4](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1236679-jonathan-goldstein) In the directors' own account of the craft, they used drones and visual effects to evoke games within the movie, including a camera mount behind the cars that made driving sequences look almost like a driving video game.[10](https://weliveentertainment.com/welivefilm/game-night-interview-directors-john-francis-daley-jonathan-goldstein/) Goldstein also appears in the cast, playing the character Dan.[5](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0326246/)
**Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023).** IMDbPro credits Goldstein as director, executive producer, and screenplay writer, with additional songwriting credits on "Juice of the Vine" and "When the Battle Is Over";[5](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0326246/) the BnF authority record likewise associates him as the film's director.[1](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb16602341x) Harvard Law School's profile places the film among the duo's works praised by critics and moviegoers.[6](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/filmmaker-jonathan-goldsteins-road-from-harvard-law-to-hollywood/)
**Television directing.** IMDbPro lists Goldstein as consulting producer on four episodes of *[In the Dark](https://www.edgepedia.org/in-the-dark-american-tv-series)* (2019) and director of one episode in 2020.[5](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0326246/)
## By the numbers
The quantitative record on the duo is concentrated in a few figures. *Vacation*, their directorial debut, grossed more than $100 million worldwide.[8](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/vacation-duo-jonathan-goldstein-john-francis-daley-write-new-line-comedy-game-night-896852/) By *Mayday*, Goldstein had collaborated with Daley on 10 other feature films.[6](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/filmmaker-jonathan-goldsteins-road-from-harvard-law-to-hollywood/) *Mayday* premiered on Apple TV+ on September 4, 2026.[2](https://www.productionlist.com/production-role/jonathan-goldstein)
## Style and tonal signatures
**Genre first, jokes second.** Goldstein and Daley are known for blending genre with humor and for distinctive filmmaking choices, a combination that drew praise for *Game Night*, *Spider-Man: Homecoming*, and *Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves*.[6](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/filmmaker-jonathan-goldsteins-road-from-harvard-law-to-hollywood/) Goldstein cites [Alfred Hitchcock](https://www.edgepedia.org/alfred-hitchcock)'s principle that film should "play the audience like a piano," describing his aim as leading the audience to think they know where the story is going and then turning it on their head.[6](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/filmmaker-jonathan-goldsteins-road-from-harvard-law-to-hollywood/)
The duo's genre framing extends to how they describe individual scripts. Goldstein says their *Spider-Man: Homecoming* screenplay "channeled John Hughes, by way of a superhero movie."[6](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/filmmaker-jonathan-goldsteins-road-from-harvard-law-to-hollywood/) On *Game Night*, the game-evoking camera work and effects carried the comedy's premise into the film's visual style.[10](https://weliveentertainment.com/welivefilm/game-night-interview-directors-john-francis-daley-jonathan-goldstein/) *Mayday* is conceived as a two-hander in the vein of *48 Hours* and *Lethal Weapon*, pairing a downed American pilot played by [Ryan Reynolds](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-reynolds) with a former KGB agent played by [Kenneth Branagh](https://www.edgepedia.org/kenneth-branagh).[6](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/filmmaker-jonathan-goldsteins-road-from-harvard-law-to-hollywood/)
## What has changed since 2023
**Post-2023 slate.** After *Honor Among Thieves*, IMDbPro lists Goldstein as executive producer on eight episodes of the 2024 television series *Hysteria!* and as holding uncredited additional literary material credit on *A Minecraft Movie* (2025).[5](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0326246/) He wrote and directed *Mayday* with Daley for Apple TV, which debuted September 4, 2026, with Reynolds and Branagh starring.[6](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/filmmaker-jonathan-goldsteins-road-from-harvard-law-to-hollywood/)
The *Mayday* release year is reported inconsistently: IMDbPro lists the film as a 2025 release,[5](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0326246/) while Production List states a September 4, 2026 premiere on Apple TV+,[2](https://www.productionlist.com/production-role/jonathan-goldstein) and the Harvard Law School profile independently corroborates the September 4 Apple TV debut without stating a year.[6](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/filmmaker-jonathan-goldsteins-road-from-harvard-law-to-hollywood/)
**Announced projects.** Goldstein and Daley's next project is a new *Star Trek* film that they will write, produce, and direct, a franchise Goldstein says he has loved since childhood.[6](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/filmmaker-jonathan-goldsteins-road-from-harvard-law-to-hollywood/) Production List additionally reports *Renegades* (Sony) in active development and the duo's GoldDay production banner operating with a first-look deal at Paramount.[2](https://www.productionlist.com/production-role/jonathan-goldstein)
## References
1. [Notice de personne "Goldstein, Jonathan (1968-....)", BnF Catalogue général](https://catalogue.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/cb16602341x)
2. [Jonathan Goldstein | Production List](https://www.productionlist.com/production-role/jonathan-goldstein)
3. [Jonathan Goldstein – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0326246/bio/)
4. [Jonathan Goldstein – The Movie Database (TMDB)](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1236679-jonathan-goldstein)
5. [Jonathan Goldstein (III) – IMDbPro credits](https://pro.imdb.com/name/nm0326246/)
6. [Filmmaker Jonathan Goldstein's road from Harvard Law to Hollywood, Harvard Law School](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/filmmaker-jonathan-goldsteins-road-from-harvard-law-to-hollywood/)
7. [Lasting Laughs, Harvard Law School](https://hls.harvard.edu/today/lasting-laughs/)
8. ['Vacation' Duo Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley to Write New Line Comedy 'Game Night', The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/vacation-duo-jonathan-goldstein-john-francis-daley-write-new-line-comedy-game-night-896852/)
9. [Jonathan Goldstein | Danish Film Institute](https://www.dfi.dk/en/viden-om-film/filmdatabasen/person/jonathan-goldstein)
10. [Game Night Interview: Directors John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, We Live Entertainment](https://weliveentertainment.com/welivefilm/game-night-interview-directors-john-francis-daley-jonathan-goldstein/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Directors, producers, and screenwriters*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license