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).

Career

Solomon grew up in suburban Boston, until his family moved to California. He went to UCLA and majored in Economics while beginning his career 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, 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. 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.

Personal life

He married Cynthia Cleese, daughter of Connie Booth and John Cleese, in 1995. They have two children and divorced in 2011. Solomon is Jewish.

Filmography

Film

Acting credits Other credits

Television