Former MCU director Jon Watts spoke passionately about his anger regarding his first post-Marvel Studios movie.
Watts, best known by most for his work on the first three MCU Spider-Man films (Homecoming, Far From Home, and No Way Home), has stepped out of the Marvel limelight for the first time in nearly a decade.
For the director's first work outside of the comic book universe (aside from his upcoming Star Wars project, Skeleton Crew), he partnered with Apple TV+ for the Ocean's Eleven-style heist romp Wolfs starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney.
Jon Watts Angry Over His First Post-MCU Project
Jon Watts' first post-MCU project is out in the wild, and the former Spider-Man filmmaker is frustrated with how its release went.
Watts' Wolfs film debuted on Apple TV+ in mid-September to mediocre reviews (it is sitting at 66% on Rotten Tomatoes as of writing), but that is not why the fan-favorite director is up in arms.
After the movie's release, Watts voiced frustrations, essentially saying Apple duped him in how it ended up seeing the light of day.
Watts told Deadline that the streamer was "extremely enthusiastic" about the film earlier this year and was seemingly committed to a wide release for the George Clooney and Brad Pitt-led blockbuster.
That did not end up happening, though, as, in Watts' words, Apple made a "last minute shift from a promised wide theatrical release to a streaming release" without any "explanation or discussion" with the filmmaker:
"I showed Apple my final cut of 'Wolfs' early this year. They were extremely enthusiastic about it and immediately commissioned me to start writing a sequel. But their last minute shift from a promised wide theatrical release to a streaming release was a total surprise and made without any explanation or discussion. I wasn’t even told about it until less than a week before they announced it to the world."
He added that the studio commissioned him to start work on a sequel to his twist-filled thriller back in early 2024, but following this last-minute release switch, he had asked that they "[do] not include the news that [he] was writing a sequel," something the streaming giant did not oblige to:
"I was completely shocked and asked them to please not include the news that I was writing a sequel. They ignored my request and announced it in their press release anyway, seemingly to create a positive spin to their streaming pivot. And so I quietly returned the money they gave me for the sequel."
"Apple didn’t cancel the Wolfs sequel, I did," the former MCU director continued, saying, "I no longer [trust] them as a creative partner:"
"I didn’t want to talk about it because I was proud of the film and didn’t want to generate any unnecessary negative press. I loved working with Brad and George (and Amy and Austin and Poorna and Zlatko) and would happily do it again. But the truth is that Apple didn’t cancel the 'Wolfs' sequel, I did, because I no longer trusted them as a creative partner."
Of the major streamers, Apple TV+ has been the most interested in full-scale theatrical releases, with films like Argylle and Blitz getting wide releases on the big screen.
In 2025, the studio has arguably one of the biggest theatrical movies coming to cinemas in its F1 movie starring Brad Pitt and directed by Top Gun: Maverick filmmaker Joseph Kosinski.
That is what makes this Wolfs situation even more bizarre. Apple has not publicly commented on the release swap of Watts' film, so fans may never know with certainty what happened to the movie.
Watts previously posited that he did not write Wolfs to make a sequel but would be open to it if the audience demand were to change. That tune has seemingly changed, and Wolfs 2 will likely never see the light of day (at least if Jon Watts has anything to do with it).
What Is Next for Jon Watts?
Now that the plans for a Wolfs sequel from Jon Watts have seemingly gone down the drain, thanks to a (at least how he sees it) mismanaged release plan from Apple, the former Spider-Man director has a clean slate ahead of him.
As of writing, the filmmaker's next major project is only a few days away. After years of development and being announced in May 2022, Watt's Star Wars series, Skeleton Crew, is ready to see the light of day.
This streaming show will center on a group of kids in the Star Wars universe who get lost and go on a Stranger Things-esque adventure.
Beyond that, the director's schedule is empty. He will not return for the upcoming fourth Spider-Man movie in the MCU. Instead, Shang-Chi and the Legends of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton will helm that film.
He does have some producing work lined up, though. Watts is part of the producing team on the upcoming Final Destination: Bloodlines film and the Jeff Kaplan-written Disaster Wedding.
Hopefully, following this Wolfs drama, the director can pick himself up by his boots and get back in the directing chair sooner rather than later.
Wolfs is streaming on Apple TV+.