Ed Solomon

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Lore & Background

Solomon wrote the screenplay for Men in Black, released in 1997. This project added to a career that included co-writing Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989) and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) with Chris Matheson. His work on Men in Black established him as a key writer for hit franchise films, which also include Charlie's Angels and the Now You See Me series. In March 2016, he completed production on Mosaic, a 12-hour long-form TV project for HBO made in collaboration with director Steven Soderbergh. This marked the start of further collaborations with Soderbergh, including the neo-noir film No Sudden Move in 2021 and the crime series Full Circle, which premiered July 13, 2023.

In Their Own Story

Solomon's career began in suburban Boston before his family moved to California. He attended UCLA, where he majored in Economics while working as a joke writer, stand-up comedian, and playwright. While still a student, he secured a staff writing position on Laverne & Shirley. After college, he spent three years on the Showtime series It's Garry Shandling's Show before venturing into feature films in the 1980s. His film credits include co-writing the Bill & Ted franchise with Chris Matheson and writing Men in Black (1997) and Now You See Me (2013). He also worked on an early version of a Universal The Invisible Man remake that was intended to star Johnny Depp.

Reader's Guide

Solomon is Jewish and was married from 1995 to 2011 to Cynthia Cleese, the daughter of Connie Booth and John Cleese. They have two children together. Professionally, he continues to be an active industry professional, having collaborated with Steven Soderbergh on multiple projects following Mosaic in 2016. His filmography spans decades, starting with television writing in his youth and expanding into major franchise screenplays like Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020), which he also co-wrote with Matheson.

Did You Know?

• Solomon became the youngest member of the Writers Guild of America while still a college student writing for Laverne & Shirley.
• He majored in Economics at UCLA before launching his career as a joke writer and comedian.
• In March 2016, he completed production on Mosaic, a 12-hour TV project for HBO with Steven Soderbergh.
• Solomon worked on an early version of a Universal The Invisible Man remake intended to star Johnny Depp.