‘Wolfs‘ director Jon Watts this weekend stunned everyone when he declared that he canceled the long-awaited follow-up to Apple TV+’s breakout hit, co-starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt. While it came as a huge shock to the fans across the globe, everyone was left speculating the reason behind the abrupt move.
However, the director has now come forward clarifying that his reason for the cancellation had to do with the production company, Apple TV. Here’s what he said.
Jin Watts Says He Did Not Trust Apple TV Anymore
Jon Watts recently sat down for an interview with ‘Deadline‘, wherein he revealed the reason he canceled the long-awaited follow-up to ‘Wolfs‘. Although ‘Wolfs’ is Apple TV+’s most-watched feature film, Watts said in an exclusive interview with ‘Deadline’ that he killed the project over the tech giant’s last-minute shift from a theatrical/over-the-top into purely a streaming-first play.
Watts added that while Apple had initially commissioned him to create a follow-up after their positive reception to his final cut of ‘Wolfs‘, the sudden change in distribution plans left him frustrated. Apple had promised a wide theatrical release, but the filmmaker was caught unaware when the company decided to go with a limited theater run, fast-forwarding the film into their streaming service.
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“I wasn’t even told about it until less than a week before they announced it to the world,” Watts told ‘Deadline‘. The director expressed frustration over communication issues, asserting that Apple failed in that regard as he was on his knees asking them not to announce his involvement in the sequel.
This gulf of trust led Watts to return all the money Apple paid him for the sequel and his partnership with Apple came to an end through creative differences.
Jon Watts Reveals He Loved Working With Brad Pitt And George Clooney
Despite his complaints against Apple, Jon Watts said he enjoyed working on the film. “I loved working with Brad and George,” Watts continued, noting his willingness to collaborate with the cast again under different circumstances. But he was clear that Apple’s handling of the release strategy had soured their relationship.
“The truth is that Apple didn’t cancel the ‘Wolfs’ sequel, I did, because I no longer trusted them as a creative partner,” he added. Though Apple declined to comment directly on the situation, sources close to the company said they still consider ‘Wolfs‘ a success and are apparently open to the idea of a sequel.
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This incident is one of many showing the ongoing tension between studios, filmmakers, and streaming platforms about how to go about their distributive strategies. Watts’ action seems to echo a similar feud between director Doug Liman with Amazon over the distribution strategy of his remake for ‘Road House‘, released direct-to-streaming that leads the questions on the risks and rewards of balancing theatrical releases in line with demands from streaming platforms.
For now, Apple keeps on trucking with other big-time movies, like Brad Pitt’s F1 biopic, which should break out theatrically before it struts over to Apple TV+.
