Paradigm Signs Screenwriter Jim Taylor

EXCLUSIVE: Jim Taylor, the Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning screenwriter known for his longtime creative partnership with filmmaker Alexander Payne on a series of lauded, darkly comedic character studies, has inked with Paradigm for representation.

Payne and Taylor first collaborated on the Laura Dern-led indie satire Citizen Ruth, following that up with the Tom Perrotta adaptation Election, a dark comedy starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon that brought them an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay and scored Independent Spirit Awards wins for Picture, Director and Screenplay, bringing Witherspoon her first Golden Globe nomination.

Taylor and Payne won the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay for About Schmidt, an existential dramedy whose stars Nicholson and Kathy Bates earned Oscar nominations. Two years later, the duo won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Sideways, the celebrated wine country dramedy starring Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen and Sandra Oh, based on the 2004 novel by Rex Pickett. The film earned Academy Award nominations for Giamatti, Handen Church and Madsen for acting, as well as Payne for directing. In addition, Taylor and Payne won a BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Outside of his collaboration with Payne, Taylor is known for his creative partnership with his wife, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Tamara Jenkins (The Savages). Together, they adapted the Nick Hornby novel Juliet, Naked into the 2018 film starring Rose Byrne and Ethan Hawke.

Taylor was a producer on Payne’s 2011 film The Descendants, starring George Clooney, which was nominated for five Oscars and won two Golden Globes. Together, they’re currently adapting an Election sequel, based on Perrotta’s 2022 novel Tracy Flick Can’t Win, for Paramount, with Hello Sunshine and Bona Fide producing.

Taylor continues to be represented by Untitled Entertainment and attorney John Diemer at Goodman, Genow, Schenkman.