One of the most important parts of a film's development is writing the screenplay, which can take writers years to get right, oftentimes even being reworked through post-production. With superhero films, screenwriters need to figure out exactly how to balance the big-budget action spectacles with the more emotional, character-driven scenes. As fun as the superheroic feats are to see, sometimes it's the smaller personal scenes that make more of an impact.
NEWS
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter , Spider-Man: Homecoming screenwriters Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley revealed which of the Web-Slinger's scenes was the most enjoyable for them to write. On talking about what the two learned from working on a canceled Flash film for Warner Brothers, Goldstein stated that:
The challenge is to approach it as you would a much smaller movie, and not get caught up in the fact that you have $100 million-plus to spend...Rather, focus on the stuff that makes it special and makes an audience invest — and that's the characters.
His writing partner John Francis Daley then responded to that by saying:
And it's how we approached Spider-Man , too. Our favorite scene that we wrote in the movie was the scene in the car where Michael Keaton is driving Tom Holland to the dance. It was probably the least visual spectacle of that whole film.
WHAT THIS MEANS
John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein are both incredibly talented writers and directors, having lent their abilities to Game Night , Horrible Bosses , and the recently announced Dungeons and Dragons adaptation. Their work on Spider-Man: Homecoming definitely added a unique comedic voice to our Friendly Neighborhood Wall-crawler, and though there were many writers credited on the screenplay, it was Francis Daley and Goldstein that crafted most of the film's structure and tone.
The scene between Adrian Toomes and Peter Parker that the pair spoke of was a stand-out part of Homecoming . As Toomes realized that the superhero who's been standing in the way of his criminal endeavors was his daughter's date, he stops Peter to give him a bone-chilling threat to stay away and just enjoy the dance. The performances of Michael Keaton and Tom Holland did a lot to showcase the danger Peter Parker faced by being Spider-Man, but the true root of the scene's success came from the well-written and efficient dialogue.
The writing pair made many preparations to make sure their Spider-Man film felt much different than any that had come before it. Goldstein stated in an interview with CreativeScreenwriting that "We went in with a take that was diametrically opposed to the Spider-Man movies that had come before," as they later revealed to THR that their favorite aspects about working on the film were highlighting Peter's immaturity, fears, and high school roots. The final product most definitely delivered, and it's with moments such as the tense car scene that set Spider-Man: Homecoming apart from other iconic versions of the character.
