SPIDER-MAN Writer David Koepp on The Difficulties of Pleasing Fans

Screenwriter David Koepp worked on a lot of films throughout the course of his career such as Spider-Man, Panic Room, Jurassic Park, and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. The guy certainly knows what it’s like to deal with fandom and the pressures of it.

During a recent interview with the ReelBlend podcast, Koepp shared his thoughts on pleasing the fans and why it’s such a difficult thing to do. Fans are harsh these days and with social media, their voices are louder than ever.

When asked about writing films that are connected with passionate fans, Koepp said:

“It’s very hard. I had this on Spider-Man, also. Because at the time, it was a comic book, it had been around for 35 years, and it was beloved by me and others. … Fabulous, empathetic – it’s just a brilliant design for a character. Somebody who’s truly innocent, screwed up a little bit, and was made to pay far more than was fair, and has been trying to make up for it ever since, but kept their sense of humor. Wow, that’s a great character. Anyway, it was similar to doing that in that, when the first Spider-Man came around, the Internet was fairly young but it was pretty nasty already. It had already become an inhospitable place. And I felt like, you know in a basketball game when they are on the road and they are shooting free throws and the opposing fans are all screaming and waving those things and banging them together to try and make you miss? I kind of felt like that’s what writing was like on those movies. So much noise, and so many opinions, and so much… Lucasfilm fans, in particular, are difficult to please. There’s a lot of pressure, and it can be very distracting.”

I can totally understand that. We’ve all seen how rabid fans can get over the franchises they love and being under a lot of scrutiny, and the weight on their shoulders is sure to be distracting for any of the talent working on these kinds of films.