This Men In Black Secret Will Blow You Mind (For The Worst Reasons)
Men In Black's Writer Hasn't Received Any Profit Residuals
But what does Men in Black have to do with all of this? Well, it serves as an unfortunate example of how writers are mistreated by the studio system - something the film's writer, Ed Solomon, has scathingly highlighted on social media. Solomon (who you can also thank for writing all of the Bill & Ted movies), adapted Men in Black from the Malibu comics of the same name, collaborating with director Barry Sonnenfeld to create that ineffable fusion of whimsy, action, and comedy that Jones and Smith channeled so well on camera.
The screenplay for Men in Black is a real thing of beauty - a funny, rapid-fire adventure that provided the ideal basis for Sonnenfeld, Elfman, and effects artist Rick Baker to work their magic and bring that world to life. Without Solomon, there is no Men in Black as we know it today - he was integral to its success.
However, despite Solomon's instrumental role in the development of the first Men in Black, in the last 25 years, he is yet to receive any kind of residual payment from Sony. Solomon has highlighted this over on his Twitter on several occasions, twice in 2019, calling his profit statement "the greatest work of science fiction [he's] ever been involved with." Solomon followed this up with another tweet in 2021 which stated that the film was losing money at a faster rate, "down over $6 million" within a year.
Okay my newest Men in Black profit statement has it losing money at an increasing rate! It’s down over $6 mil this year! At this rate I’ll get my 5% of net profits in 4830 B.C. Seriously, whatever they’re doing with it - which is, I think, nothing - they should really just stop. https://t.co/sNqz5Fzwd9
— Ed Solomon (@ed_solomon) January 16, 2021
Because many contracts stipulate that residuals are dependant on films turning a net profit, this means that Solomon has never shared in the spoils of the franchise he helped spawn, even though the first Men in Black obviously made loads of money, and it would cost relatively little for Sony to pay him.