Original X-Men Writer Regrets Taking His Name Off The Movie
Ed Solomon admits that he regrets his decision to have his writing credit removed from the first X-Men movie. Though the Hugo-nominated screenwriter penned some major Hollywood hits - including the Bill & Ted series, Men in Black, the 2000 remake of Charlie's Angels, and the Now You See Me franchise - his legacy will always be marked by the creative differences that he had with 20th Century Fox over X-Men (2000) that led to David Hayter receiving sole credit for writing the film.
X-Men, directed by Bryan Singer, launched the career of actor Hugh Jackman and went on to become a massively successful film franchise. In addition to two direct sequels, the series includes three standalone Wolverine films, four X-Men prequel films, two Deadpool movies, and The New Mutants. When the first film was released, however, it was marred with production drama that left the franchise's future uncertain. Fox hired Solomon (hot off the success of Men in Black), and Christopher McQuarrie (who has gone on to write and direct several entries in the Mission: Impossible film franchise) to pen the film, but heated disagreements with the studio led to McQuarrie's firing. He removed his name from the credits and convinced Solomon to do the same.
Speaking to THR, Solomon said this decision is now one of his “biggest professional regrets.” The film was a commercial and critical hit, earning back $296.3 million in the United States alone against a $75 million dollar budget. While discussing Bill & Ted Face the Music, Solomon took a moment to express his remorse over getting his credit removed: "It was a dumb move. But I’m proud of being the first person to write a superhero movie with real people.” Ultimately, he estimated that he lost “probably $2 million” in residuals and royalties from X-Men. "Just saying that stings,” he confessed. The X-Men franchise has gone on to make an estimated $6 billion worldwide.
Despite the setback behind the scenes of X-Men, Solomon continues to have a successful career. He made his directorial debut in 2003 with the indie crime-drama Levity, which starred Billy Bob Thornton and Morgan Freeman. In 2017, he collaborated with director Steven Soderbergh for HBO's successful murder-mystery miniseries Mosaic. A yet-unproduced third Now You See Me was announced in 2016, to which Solomon is credited for the story. And, of course, he's been keeping busy promoting the long-awaited conclusion to the Bill & Ted series, in which he also cameos as the “Stupid Demon.”
With the X-Men franchise being picked up by Disney, it is only a matter of time before the Marvel Cinematic Universe starts creating new properties featuring the beloved mutants. Perhaps they should consider welcoming Solomon back into the fold for some screenplay duties. Then again - his writing credits also include the notorious 1993 film adaptation of Super Mario Brothers, which he notably does not include on his list of biggest regrets. Perhaps Solomon, for all of his success, still has a few lessons to learn.
Source: THR