Ed Solomon

Edward James Solomon (born September 15, 1960) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for writing the screenplays to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989), Men in Black (1997), and Now You See Me (2013).

Ed Solomon
Born
Edward James Solomon

(1960-09-15) September 15, 1960 (age 63)
Occupation(s)Screenwriter, director, producer
Spouse
Cynthia Cleese
(m. 1995; div. 2011)
Children2

Career

Solomon began his career in college as a joke writer, stand up comedian, and playwright. While still in college, he was a staff writer for Laverne & Shirley – making him (at the time) the youngest member of the Writers Guild of America. He then spent three years writing the cult Showtime TV series, It's Garry Shandling's Show, before venturing into feature films in the 1980s. He helped create and co-write the critically acclaimed comedies Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (with Chris Matheson). Solomon also worked on a number of hit franchise films, including Men in Black, Charlie's Angels, and then writing the Now You See Me films.

Solomon worked on an early version of a Universal The Invisible Man remake,[1] with Johnny Depp. In March 2016 he completed production on Mosaic, a 12-hour long-form TV project for HBO in collaboration with director Steven Soderbergh.[2] This production would mark the first in a series of collaborations with Soderbergh, including the neo-noir film No Sudden Move in 2021, and more recently, the crime series Full Circle, which premiered July 13, 2023.[3]

Personal life

He married Cynthia Cleese, daughter of Connie Booth and John Cleese, in 1995.[4][5] They have two children and divorced in 2011.

Solomon is Jewish.[6]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleWriterProducerDirector
1989Bill & Ted's Excellent AdventureYesNoStephen Herek
1991Bill & Ted's Bogus JourneyYesCo-producerPeter Hewitt
1992Leaving NormalYesAssociateEdward Zwick
Mom and Dad Save the WorldStoryNoGreg Beeman
1993Super Mario Bros.YesNoRocky Morton
Annabel Jankel
1997Men in BlackYesNoBarry Sonnenfeld
2000What Planet Are You From?YesNoMike Nichols
Charlie's AngelsYesNoMcG
2003The In-LawsYesNoAndrew Fleming
LevityYesYesHimself
2009Imagine ThatYesYesKarey Kirkpatrick
2013Now You See MeYesNoLouis Leterrier
Rapture-PaloozaNoYesPaul Middleditch
2016Now You See Me 2YesExecutiveJon M. Chu
2020Bill & Ted Face the MusicYesYesDean Parisot
2021No Sudden MoveYesNoSteven Soderbergh

Acting credits

YearTitleRoleNotes
1989Bill & Ted's Excellent AdventureStupid Waiter
1991Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey"Stupid" Seance Member
1992Leaving NormalJerk in BarAs Edward Solomon
Mom and Dad Save the WorldDestroyer #13
2010Barry MundayDoctor #2
2020Bill & Ted Face the MusicStupid Demon

Other credits

YearTitleRoleNotes
1987Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in ParadiseSoundtrackLyrics: "No on Fifteen"
2000The Prime GigSpecial thanks
X-MenUncredited revision
2005Paradise NowSpecial thanks
2008Choke

Television

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerNotes
1982–1983Laverne & ShirleyNoYesNo3 episodes
1986–1989It's Garry Shandling's ShowNoYesNo8 episodes;
Also script consultant
1990The Dave Thomas Comedy ShowNoYesNo
1992Arresting BehaviorYesNoNo
1999The UnbelievablesYesYesYesTelevision pilot
2017–2018MosaicNoYesNo
2023Full CircleNoYesYes

References