A little over a year ago, Spider-Man: Far From Home, the most recent addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), swung its way into theaters. The final installment in Phase 3, which was released a few short months after the climactic Avengers: Endgame, it's easy to write off the friendly neighborhood superhero's latest big-screen adventure as merely an epilogue for this gigantic cinematic enterprise's current iteration. But Spidey's standalone story was entertaining in its own right, particularly with another winning Tom Holland performance as the titular web-shooter and Jake Gyllenhaal's welcomed addition as Mysterio.
There are always a ton of spinning wheels in motion whenever you make a humongous Marvel movie. Far From Home is no exception. If you want to explore easter eggs, interesting production tidbits, and other fun behind-the-scenes facts about the making of this MCU blockbuster, here's what you should know about this Spider-Man sequel.
The Cast Couldn't Read Half The Script Due To Avengers: Endgame Spoilers
When you make an interconnected cinematic universe with many interlaced characters and overarching narratives, you need to be averse to spoilers leaking out to the public. Especially when you have a star known for not keeping mum about important details, you can't be too careful. Considering that Spider-Man: Far From Home was the first Marvel to come out shortly after the monumental Avengers: Endgame, it's not hard for key bits of information to leak out into the ever-watching public eye. Therefore, while the filmmakers were expectedly clued in on the details, not even the Far From Home cast was privy to big, spoilery plot points.
Zendaya claims that she received only half the script, providing an impartial understanding of the story outside of her scenes. Suffice to say, the actors needed to figure it out along the way.
Tom Holland Took Home Tony Stark's Glasses
Souvenirs from the set aren't always easy to come by, but if you are able to take a prop or two home with you, they prove to be wonderful keepsakes. When it comes to Tom Holland, the actor gets to hang out with a lot of cool gadgets and toys playing the lead part of Peter Parker, and he admits that he likes to sneak away with assorted set items. When it comes to the set of Spider-Man: Far From Home, there is one big prop that Holland now has in his possession: Tony Stark's signature glasses. The prop is worn extensively by Holland throughout the movie, and he apparently found a way to take it with him after production wrapped. That's certainly a cool prop to have. Though, now that the cat's out of the bag, maybe Marvel might take it back.
There Were Plans To Include Another Donald Glover Cameo At One Point
Donald Glover has some extensive ties to the Spider-Man franchise. While there were many fans who were clamoring to see the actor don the tights in a new version of the web-slinger, that opportunity sadly never came to pass. But Marvel paid their dues to the Atlanta actor/musician by giving the star a cameo in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Apparently, there were also plans to bring back his character, Aaron Davis (i.e. Miles Morales' uncle), in Spider-Man: Far From Home, but the screenwriters couldn't find a way to include him into the new movie. As screenwriter Chris McKenna notes, they wanted to get Peter Parker out of New York City and into Europe as swiftly as possible. Thus, the writers felt that bringing Aaron back would slow that process down, even though they were eager to return to the character.
Mysterio Encountered Peter Parker Much Earlier Than Some Viewers Might Think
While Mysterio is one of the first characters we meet in Spider-Man: Far From Home, his introduction to Peter Parker doesn't happen until damn near the halfway point of this superhero blockbuster. Or, at least, that's what some viewers might think. As some eagle-eyed moviegoers might've noticed, the character's first interaction with Peter Parker happened several scenes earlier, as Quentin Beck is seen spying on Parker in the background of one shot. If you're not looking out for it, or if you're too focused on the foreground, you might not see it. But when you notice it, it's hard to ignore. Marvel movies like to reward their loyal fanbase with hidden details sprinkled throughout their movies. Far From Home is no exception. The next time you see the film, watch out for a man in a blue Hawaiian shirt.
The Ferris Wheel Was Real
With a high-budget blockbuster such as this one, it can be hard to tell what's real and what's fake. There's a whole lot of CG wizardry that goes into the making of the latest MCU addition, so it's understandable to assume that the giant Ferris wheel that's prominently featured in the mid-section of Spider-Man: Far From Home was made with the assistance of CGI artists. According to Angourie Rice, however, the Ferris wheel was actually real. It wasn't your eyes deceiving you. When Rice and Jacob Batalon got stuck on top of the machine, that was an actual stunt.
Naturally, its inclusion added some excitement for the actors, allowing them to feel more immersed in the action, even if they were just sitting on a ride. There's also a good chance that being on this ride provided some lovely views of their Prague shooting location.
One Simple Scene Between Jake Gyllenhaal And Tom Holland Took About 40 Takes
Sometimes, even professional actors have trouble nailing a take. While Tom Holland and particularly Jake Gyllenhaal are well-seasoned actors with a good deal of professional acting experience, the scene where their characters, Peter Parker (Holland) and Quentin Beck (Gyllenhaal), shake hands and formally introduce themselves proved to be unexpectedly troublesome.
While it's a fairly simple scene in its execution (or, at least, you would think), the actors had a difficult time keeping the giggles away, to the point where take after take was botched by their chuckles. According to Gyllenhaal, the actors needed at least 40 takes in order to get the scene right. Even then, it wasn't easy. Gyllenhaal said this scene in the final cut is basically only a millisecond long because that's the only useable footage available. Sometimes, even professionals can't keep it together.
Zendaya Was Scared The Spider-Man Costume Would Choke Tom Holland
On any good film set, there are several safety precautions in place to make sure that the actors have a harm-free work environment. For moral, ethical, and legal reasons, especially on a set filled with action sequences, you want your cast to feel comfortable — even when they're performing dangerous stunts.
While there were assuredly several safety measures put into place when making Spider-Man: Far From Home, Zendaya couldn't help but worry about her co-star, Tom Holland. Specifically, the actress admits that Holland's one-piece costume scares her because she worried that he will "choke" inside of it. Since he's unable to take the fabric off his face independent to the rest of the costume, she was concerned that he would have a hard time breathing if something went wrong. Thankfully, nothing bad like that happened with the costume — hopefully.
At One Point, Mysterio Was A Skrull
Throughout the screenwriting process, a number of different ideas are pitched. Some made it into the final cut, while many, many others were thrown out in the creative process. When it comes to Spider-Man: Far From Home, the writers had several different ideas in mind for what they wanted to do with Spidey's return to the silver screen, and one of them involved Mysterio secretly being a Skrull.
As screenwriter Erik Sommers notes, this idea was introduced very, very early into their story discussion, as they were trying to discover ways in which Mysterio might deceive our lead characters. Alas, while the Skrulls were introduced in Captain Marvel and played a part in Far From Home's end credit stinger, the decision to make Mysterio part of this alien race was ultimately dropped somewhere during the screenwriting process — either for better or worse.
Even Tom Holland Didn't Know About The J. Jonah Jameson End Credit Surprise
While Marvel is well-known for their mid or end credit surprises, even the biggest Marvel superfans were shocked by the reveal made halfway through Spider-Man: Far From Home's curtain call. Specifically, J.K. Simmons reprising his role as J. Jonah Jameson. It's a wonderfully unexpected discovery that made even the most restrained Marvel fans lose their marbles, and it earned the response Marvel hoped it would. But in order for the cameo to earn this jubilant reaction, this casting decision needed to be a top-secret priority. That means that, with the exception of the top brass and Sam Raimi (who gave his blessing), this appearance was on a need-to-know basis. That means even the cast was left in the dark, including Tom Holland. If you want to know Holland's reaction to this cinematic surprise, well, you're in luck.
The Filmmakers Considered Having Peter Parker's Identity Revealed During The Battle
While the decision to have J. Jonah Jameson doxx Peter Parker came as a shock to many viewers (and understandably so!), this story decision was apparently in the cards from the beginning. Indeed, it wasn't a matter of if Parker's identity would be revealed but rather how. Or, more specifically, who would be the one to unveil Spider-Man's mask.
According to screenwriter Chris McKenna, there were several different options explored for this plot twist. In earlier drafts, notably, it was Parker himself who revealed his own identity to the world-at-large in his battle with Mysterio. But it was a decision that didn't find its footing on the page. Thus, the screenwriters decided to explore other options, which eventually led to J. Jonah Jameson's splashy MCU debut. But make no mistake. The screenwriters always intended "the rug" to be "pulled" from under Parker.
Do you know some additional behind-the-scenes trivia bits about the making of Spider-Man: Far From Home? If so, please feel to share them in the comment section below!
