Spider-Man's world is out of whack. "It’s funny," smiles Tom Holland. "The first film was called Spider-Man: Homecoming, and I shot it, like, 9,000 miles away from home. And this one's called Spider-Man: Far From Home, and I live just outside the M25. So it’s a bit of a weird one…" It gets weirder. The setting may be Hertfordshire’s Leavesden Studios, but the sets span the globe: there’s a New York restaurant (chandeliers, cute lampshades, looks cosy), a Prague bar (peeling paint, ripped drapes, looks haunted) and today’s key location, a Venice canal. Gondola: check. Crystal-blue water: check. Fake baby in buggy staring at TF: brrr.
It's early August, 2018; several months after the release of Avengers: Infinity War, but several more before the release – and even the title reveal – of Avengers: Endgame. Hence a certain caginess on set about when Far From Home takes place.
For now, the focus is on the where. "A lot of the action in Homecoming was kind of private, more contained," says Holland (Exhibit A: Spidey stuck all night in a sealed warehouse). "This one is much more global. We’ve got a lot of screaming extras!"
The pitch for Far From Home is Peter Parker's Euro Trip. "All this stuff has happened to him; he got wrapped up in this superhero world pretty quickly," muses exec producer Eric Carroll. "And he just wants to go to Europe with his best friend [Jacob Batalon's Ned], hang out with the girl he likes [Zendaya's MJ]… that’s what he wants this to be."
Naturally, there’s a change to the itinerary. "Out of the shadows steps Nick Fury," continues Carroll, "who’s like, 'I need your help with this other crazy plot.' So it's like a high-school vacation movie that keeps getting interrupted by a James Bond movie." Getting into the, ahem, swing of things, Spidey acquires what’s been dubbed a ‘stealth suit’, ready for a hush-hush mission. Call it For Your Bug-Eyes Only…
Elemental school
Except the target here isn’t anything 007 has ever had to tussle with: rageful personifications of the forces of nature. Or in other words: the Elementals. "A series of these creatures is wreaking havoc across Europe," explains Carroll. "The really nerdy inside joke here is that they’re based on B-level Spider-Man baddies. There is actually a villain in the comics called Hydro-Man, who’s a guy made out of water but wears a t-shirt and has a haircut…"
Rest assured, the filmmakers have put "the MCU spin" on Mr. Wet T-Shirt and pals (who also include the fiery Molten Man), making them "kind of scary and threatening… for all the comic fans keeping score, it’ll be fun to see Hydro-Man brought to the big screen in a way we think is pretty cool."
As proof of concept, Carroll shows TF an animatic of Hydro-Man attacking Venice – a frenetic few minutes full of smashing, lashing and yes, splashing. Later that day, we venture on to the backlot to see some of the scene's live-action components being shot. A stone's throw from the canal set, the second unit are filming in and around the business end of a bell tower, a process involving hydraulics and a harness-strapped stunt-chap.
Meanwhile, our principals – Holland, Zendaya, Batalon – are canal-side, along with those screaming extras (about 100 of them). An airhorn blasts, cameras roll, and everybody legs it up the steps – everyone aside from Peter and Ned, frantically working out what to do about the watery menace offscreen. Humanoid H2O obviously requires a lot of CGI; but even without a single dastardly drop of Hydro-Man in sight, the sense of heightened peril feels immersive (until the airhorn blasts again and everyone files calmly back down the steps).
"A lot of the stunts are really more explosive than in the first one," reckons Batalon, taking a breather from canals and chaos. "I feel like Homecoming was more about getting your feet wet; this one really goes for it. And we’re literally getting our feet wet!"
Batalon’s role is more action-intensive this time, though he doesn’t get into specifics. "I feel like they’re all major beats, so I don’t know if I can say anything… Just know that I’m very important in this movie!"
A lot of the action in Homecoming was kind of private, more contained. This one is much more global. We’ve got a lot of screaming extras!
Tom Holland
Another of Peter's friends who steps up in FFH is Michelle Jones – MJ – who’s this time set to launch zingers more from the centre of the story, rather than its margins. "It’s cool to be small in the beginning of a series, and grow into something later," says Zendaya, who’s also set for a big action moment. "I hope so," she laughs, "otherwise I’m wasting my time! I definitely get to be around more. The first time I was like, 'Yo, my friends are up there. And I’m out.' But this time, I stay a little bit longer… and then I'm out!"
Trailers tease that Peter and MJ could maybe, possibly, enjoy a holiday romance. "There’s no hooking up in this movie," she says, dashing TF’s hopes of a wedding invite. But then… "Of course, there’s chemistry between the characters," she adds. "They’re, what, 16-year-old kids going on a cool trip together, trying to figure out what they’re feeling, or if they even have a feeling. Maybe we don’t, maybe we’re just friends."
There may be a question mark over Peter and MJ, but one thing is certain: bromance is in the air. And superpowered bromance, at that. "Spider-Man and Mysterio… they’re like buds, you know?" reveals Holland. It wasn’t always that way. In the comics, Mysterio (aka Quentin Beck) is a Spider-villain of long standing, introduced by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in their epochal '60s run. An FX whiz turned criminal, the bowl-headed baddie has put Spidey in a spin with his illusions (and stuntman fighting skills). But in FFH, his 'friend' status is apparently for real. "It’s an interesting team-up, one that will take fans for a bit of a ride," teases Holland.
Making quite the entrance in his comic-book-accurate cape, Mysterio plays a significant part in the Hydro-Man showdown (possibly stealing some of Spidey’s thunder…). Alas, actor Jake Gyllenhaal isn’t on set today (or maybe he is – hard to spot, those master illusionists). Still, we have the next best thing: Tom Holland giving an animated account of Jake’s in-camera magic.
"Every actor I’ve worked with has this thing where they switch it on. Just before the tape starts, you can tell: 'right, they’re in character'. Jake’s switch is seamless. Sometimes you're like, 'Is he talking to me? Or actually acting?' There's no barrier; he's able to move in and out without any hiccups… he's honestly a dream to work with."
London calling
Holland heads off for a break, marvelling at how he’s kept his student-y ensemble (check shirt, white t-shirt, jeans) dry thus far. "Just my ankles are wet at the moment; but I could get drenched later on." TF, meanwhile, does some more set-snooping. This time it's a Tower of London interior, complete with faux-stone walls and archway and a cluster of chains hanging from the ceiling. The Big Smoke reportedly plays a big part in the film; other stops on Spidey’s Euro tour include the Alps, Germany, The Netherlands (Carroll: "We had to get tulip fields into our movie"). There’s also a sojourn to Mexico with Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and another of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s finest, Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders).
But back in Leavesden, one of the most intriguing sets isn't an international locale, but a vehicle… the Stark Jet. Reaching the back of the wingless fuselage, we enter a 'secret' workshop containing a giant robot arm, a square of Stark-branded carpet, enough tools to open a new branch of Robert Dyas… and a Tesco bag. Maybe Tony popped out for a lunchtime meal deal? As we resist the urge to twist dials and open drawers, Carroll casually explains why Mr. Stark is actually sitting this one out.
"When we were writing the story, there were obvious references to Tony, because that’s a big part of how Spider-Man got wrapped up in this," he says, harking back to webhead's MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War. "We were having more fun introducing Fury and Mysterio [into Spidey’s world]; as soon as you include Tony in that mix, it sort of gets lopsided, or starts to feel familiar." Fair enough. But could there still be room for a cheeky Tony cameo, TF naïvely wonders? [Avengers: Endgame spoilers commencing in 5… 4… 3…]
The End-game
Fast forward to May, 2019. Spider-Man’s world is really out of whack. Thanks to the Snap, he's been awol the past five years; his friend, mentor and costumer Iron Man is RIP; and then there’s this bombshell from the second Far From Home trailer… Fury: "The Snap tore a hole in our dimension." Peter: "You’re saying there’s a multiverse?!" The 'm'-word sparks countless questions. But at least the trailer answers a riddle that’s been hanging over the movie since it was first announced: FFH is set post-Endgame.
"It’s so nice, honestly, that that's out, and I don’t have to keep secrets any more," grins director Jon Watts. Talking to TF minutes after the trailer breaks, Watts' sense of relief is palpable. "It’s been impossible to talk about this movie because of Endgame, about where it fits in the timeline."
Asked for clarity over where it fits in the Phase-line, Watts responds: "Kevin [Feige, Marvel Studios’ president] said recently that this movie is technically the end of Phase 3… so I’ll defer to Kevin on Phase-related questions!" Watts is certain, though, that "this isn't the start of a new, dark, 'emo' phase for Peter. Even though he’s gone through all these dramatic and traumatic events, he’s still the same Peter Parker we know and love. It’s seeing how he deals with those things that’s interesting for me."
Another Endgame-based query: in the first FFH trailer, Fury says to Peter, "Nice to finally meet you Spider-Man." Yet at the end of Endgame, they’re in the same scene – the same shot, in fact. So was Fury's line a big fake-out? It wouldn’t be the first example of Marvel misdirection… "No, it’s not a fake-out," chuckles Watts. "They actually talk about why they didn’t talk in that… it’s not a fake-out. But there is a bit more to [this subject] than meets the eye."
"No cameras moving at 1,000 miles an hour. No impossible videogame shots": Kevin Feige, Tom Holland, Jon Watts and more on the making of Spider-Man: Homecoming
Glad we (sort of) cleared that up, then. So how does Spidey cope with Fury – this gruff, not-so-fatherly figure – interrupting his hols? "You know, you have to think of Fury's perspective as well," Watts says diplomatically. "He was Snapped out for the last five years, just like Spidey, then brought back. So now you have this character who's always known everything, always been in charge, who literally created the Avengers… and he's on the back foot, probably for the first time in his life. He needs to rebuild his team, and he’s got a high-school kid dodging his calls. He’s not going to be happy!"
Talking of dodging, Watts (unsurprisingly) turns coy when TF asks how the 'multiverse' fits into the movie – or is it the other way round? "God, it’s tough," he says. "I mean, after the events of Endgame, it kind of feels like anything is possible." Go on… "Time travel, switching dimensions, old Cap… I mean, who knows? We don’t do any time travel. I can say that. The Russos already did that!"
The Quantum Realm is one of the few places the production didn't get its passport stamped; location shooting took place in London, (actual) Venice, the Czech Republic and New York. "It’s really inspiring to actually be on location, blowing things up," says Watts. "It’s very different than when you’re, you know, against greenscreen on a stage in Atlanta. You feel that the world exists outside the frame."
When it came to FX, the director strove to keep things in-camera – as far as physics would allow, at least. "When you’re dealing with Mysterio, who's flying around, or Spider-Man, who shoots webs and jumps really far, there’s only so much you can get away with practically."
Watts made a point of always starting with a "real-life shot" – even if just for reference – and then embellishing, "as opposed to the other way around, where you start with nothing then try to recreate reality. But it's a real challenge to do it like this, I will say."
Where next?
At the time of our chat, Watts reveals, the movie is "pretty much locked". FX are being polished, the soundtrack being mixed. "We’ve just recorded the score with Michael Giacchino, which is amazing. Now it’s just, you know, putting everything together," says Watts.
After the baptism of big-budget fire that was Homecoming, the director has enjoyed the sense of knowing what each day might bring, "as opposed to being a brand-new experience". But he admits to a similar level of nervous excitement. "You’re trying to make the best movie ever," he says. "And you know, following Endgame, the pressure is definitely on. I feel like Peter Parker – the pressure is on, and I've got to step up."
On the other hand, FFH could be seen as one of the MCU's 'palette-cleanser’ movies, like Ant-Man and its Wasp-ish sequel, which came on the heavy-duty heels, respectively, of Age Of Ultron and Infinity War. "We think it’s fun to sort of counterprogramme with our movies," reckons Eric Carroll. "After [Endgame], this is like a dessert – something where you can relax and not worry about it getting too dark, because it's a Spider‑Man movie."
It’s not getting too light, either. One of the templates Homecoming drew from was the John Hughes teen-com (The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, et al). For better or worse (for better), Watts hasn't taken the logical next step of a costumed riff on the Hughes-written Vacation movies. "Yeah, I don’t know if those are a direct influence," he says wryly, killing TF’s fantasy of Peter’s gang in monogrammed berets à la Griswold, getting stuck on roundabouts.
"Visually, I wanted to do something on the scale of a natural disaster," he continues. "I always loved watching Spidey fight Sandman at the end of the third Raimi Spider-Man [2007]. And I realised on Homecoming, you can do so much with Spider-Man. You want to keep him moving. He can take on characters of a massive scale. You know, it just opened up a lot of visual opportunities for me."
This isn't the start of a new, dark, 'emo' phase for Peter. Even though he’s gone through all these dramatic and traumatic events
Jon Watts
Sandman – who, like Hydro-Man and Molten Man, enjoys entering battle in just a t-shirt – would make an ideal Elemental. Or is he a too-obvious choice? "We went digging and found characters," is all Carroll will say about the two remaining Elementals. "I’m not going to say exactly which ones yet, because we want to leave some dots for fans to connect."
Whatever the challenge, Spider-Man will endure… as will Peter’s hassles with school, friends, girls, life. It’s this hero/zero balance that, done right – as in Homecoming – keeps webhead fresh rather than over-familiar, despite his many iterations (FFH marks the seventh standalone live-action Spidey movie since 2002).
"He’s such a relatable character," muses Watts. "I've never had a problem coming up with something new for Peter Parker to do, because I could watch Peter Parker do anything." Does that mean the next Spidey adventure is already taking shape? ('Home Truths'? 'Home Free'? 'Home Brewing Kit'?)
"It’s always at the back of my mind, but I try to stay focused on one movie at a time," he says. Now that the MCU has evolved into the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse, Spidey's future tingles with possibilities.
Instead of just Marvel/Sony Spider-movies, could there be Marvel and Sony Spider-movies? "I’m really excited for the future of this character," says Holland. "I still think he’s the best hero out there," adds Watts.
But heroes need villains; given a choice, which Spider-fiend would Holland most like to tackle? How about… "I know you want me to say Venom!" he laughs. "That’s who you want me to say! I don’t know. Honestly, that’s way above my level. I just fight whoever they put in front of me…"
Spider-Man: Brand New Day releases on July 31 in the US, and July 29 in the UK. For more upcoming superhero movies, check out our guides to all the upcoming Marvel movies and shows that have been confirmed.
