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Ed Solomon

Ed Solomon

Writer and producer, also director · Born September 15, 1960 (66) · Saratoga, California, USA

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). 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. He married Cynthia Cleese, daughter of Connie Booth and John Cleese, in 1995. They have two children and divorced in 2011. Solomon is Jewish. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ed Solomon, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 15, 1960 (66)
From
Saratoga, California, USA
Works as
Writer and producer, also director
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 23 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 42% in 30 days

What are Ed Solomon's films like?

Across their 18 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Adventure5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 40th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 30th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 50th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Action movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
44%
Morality
33%
Self
13%
Power
7%
Survival
2%
Society
1%
Family bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeLoyalty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 17 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 12 · Serious 4 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 3 · Stylized 8 · Heightened 6

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 6 · Charged 9 · Intense 2

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 6 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 1

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 10

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 5

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 10 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 2

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
13
Tense
7
Thrilling
7
Joyful
5
Hopeful
4
Other
12

How their films linger

Fun11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 7 with a twist

  • Happy12
  • Bittersweet5
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Ed Solomon's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 17 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ed Solomon's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

23 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Christophers(2025)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Full Circle(2023)

    Show 6 episodes · Creator · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all shows

  • No Sudden Move(2021)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Bill & Ted Face the Music(2020)

    Producer · Screenplay · as Stupid Demon

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Mosaic(2018)

    Show 6 episodes · Screenplay · as Christmas Party Guest (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all shows

  • Now You See Me 2(2016)

    Executive Producer · Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Rapture-Palooza(2013)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Now You See Me(2013)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Barry Munday(2010)

    as Doctor #2

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Imagine That(2009)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • The In-Laws(2003)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Levity(2003)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films

  • Charlie's Angels(2000)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • What Planet Are You From?(2000)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Men in Black(1997)

    Screenplay · Screenstory

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Super Mario Bros.(1993)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Mom and Dad Save the World(1992)

    Writer · as Destroyer #13

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Leaving Normal(1992)

    Associate Producer · Screenplay · as Jerk in Bar

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey(1991)

    Characters · Co-Producer · Screenplay · as "Stupid" Seance Member

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure(1989)

    Writer · as Stupid Waiter

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • It's Garry Shandling's Show.(1986)

    Show 5 episodes · Writer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows

  • The Hardy Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Screenplay

  • The Spot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show Creator · Executive Producer

Career shape

A full career of 23 titles, 21 of them dated from 1986 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Men in Black (1997)

$589M worldwide

Highest rated

Men in Black (1997)

Midcredits 92nd

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting7 of 23: 1 only acting, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score40thDirecting1 of 23: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting20 of 23: 10 only writing, 10 with another role · typical Midcredits score52ndProducing9 of 23: 1 only producing, 8 with another role · typical Midcredits score46thOther crew2 of 23: 0 only other crew, 2 with another role

23 titles, 11 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 7 of them.

By decade

1980s2 · 1 acting · 2 crew1990s5 · 3 acting · 5 crew2000s5 · crew2010s5 · 2 acting · 4 crew2020s4 · 1 acting · 4 crew

Billing

usually 26th · top billed in 0% of 5 roles

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Ed Solomon's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 46th percentile, the median of all 18; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Approval · how many liked their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Reach · how many have seen their films

95thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 21 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · writer

Super Mario Bros. (1993)

70th percentile spread · 53% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Men in Black (1997)

Midcredits 92nd · 80% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 55/100 and the plot and story 40/100 in their films, across 17 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Ed Solomon's work okay for kids?

Across up to 12 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore10 titles25–63 · median 46 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity12 titles11–47 · median 27 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity12 titles28–73 · median 46 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs10 titles24–50 · median 27 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense10 titles19–54 · median 38 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Ed Solomon work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ed Solomon's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Chris Matheson shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers

Producers