Screenwriters John Francis Daley and Jonathan M. Goldstein gave us Horrible Bosses, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and this weekend’s Vacation. I’ll allow you to come to a conclusion on their body of work on your own as I’ll have more to add with my review of Vacation later this week, but for now realize these two are signed on to write the screenplay for the upcoming Untitled Spider-Man Reboot, which is said to be approaching the webslinger with an eye for humor in the vein of John Hughes.
It’s definitely a new tact when it comes to tackling these comic book movies as the common theme for so long seemed to be a “dark and gritty” approach with celebs saying, “It’s going to be a lot like The Dark Knight,” in all of their pre-production interviews. Marvel, however, has taken the light and frothy, blue-beam-to-the-sky approach and now they’re looking to wear this tone with a badge of honor as Daley and Goldstein confirmed their intent with the screenplay in an interview with NPR:
He’s [Peter Parker/Spider-Man] a sharp kid and witty and kind of deals with the fact that he’s an outcast and a geek through humor. It is sort of the safety net for geeks like us, so I think we can totally relate to where he’s coming from. As well as the superpowers, which we also have.
For me personally this makes me anxious. Sure, we could talk for hours about whether or not another Spider-Man reboot is on the way, but it is and bitching about it isn’t going to change anything. The fact it’s another reboot is the least of my concerns, but all this talk of wit and humor and how it’s a “safety net for geeks” sounds like this is going to reek of self-awareness and childish humor. I also want some clarification on what exactly is meant when they say they are going for a tone matching that of a John Hughes film.
Are they looking to go with something a la Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? The R-rated The Breakfast Club, National Lampoon’s Vacation or Planes, Trains & Automobiles? Sixteen Candles or maybe Home Alone and Uncle Buck? Because we’re talking about big differences there.
Perhaps we’ll get a taste of it when Tom Holland is introduced as Spider-Man in next year’s Captain America: Civil War before the standalone feature arrives July 28, 2017.
