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Jon Watts cancelled a planned Wolfs sequel because he “no longer trusted” Apple. The 43-year-old filmmaker’s action comedy – which stars Brad Pitt and George Clooney – has become the most viewed feature film ever released on Apple TV+ and while there were plans for a follow-up in place, they have now been shelved due to the director’s frustration that the movie didn’t get a full theatrical release, instead receiving a limited run before heading to the streaming service.
Watts told Deadline: “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. 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. 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.”
Watts admitted he would have “happily” worked with all the cast – including Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams, Poorna Jagannathan and Zlatko Buric – again but he didn’t feel he could go ahead with the follow-up.
He added: “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.”
Although no one from Apple formally commented on his remarks, sources told the outlet that the studio consider the film a success and “remain open to a sequel”.
