Veteran Screenwriter Ed Solomon Relearned All the Rules for Steven Soderbergh’s Two-Hander ‘The Christophers’

Veteran screenwriter Ed Solomon has reunited with director Steven Soderbergh to craft the screenplay for the upcoming film 'The Christophers,' a project specifically conceived for actors Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel, despite the creative team having no initial guarantee of their participation. This collaboration, detailed in a recent interview, highlights a unique and faith-based approach to film development in the contemporary entertainment industry. The project represents a significant creative reunion between Solomon and Soderbergh, who previously collaborated on the 2021 film 'No Sudden Move.' For 'The Christophers,' Solomon describes having to consciously 'relearn' the conventional rules of screenwriting. The film is structured as a 'two-hander'—a narrative heavily reliant on dialogue and interaction between two primary characters. This format demanded a focused and intimate approach to storytelling, a departure from more plot-driven or ensemble-centric scripts. A defining and unconventional aspect of the development process was writing the lead roles specifically for Sir Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel without any prior commitment from the actors. Solomon and Soderbergh proceeded on creative instinct, crafting characters they believed would perfectly suit the esteemed performers' talents. This gamble reflects a deep trust in their creative vision and a willingness to develop material based on artistic ideal rather than logistical certainty. The film's premise, while not fully disclosed, is described as an 'entertaining' piece built around this dynamic central pairing. The process underscores a broader theme of creative risk and partnership in filmmaking. By tailoring the script to two specific, high-caliber actors, Solomon and Soderbergh embraced a character-first methodology. This news signals an exciting potential on-screen pairing between McKellen, a legendary stage and screen veteran, and Coel, a celebrated multi-hyphenate creator and performer of a younger generation, should their involvement be secured.