When the on-screen pair-up of George Clooney and Brad Pitt was announced, fans were not only excited but actively looking forward to seeing what the pair would bring to the screen next. Although their film, Wolfs, did not deliver as many expected, their chemistry and appeal certainly made the possibility of a sequel enticing.
Unfortunately, despite the film being a success on Apple TV+, Wolfs will not be getting a sequel. And it is not Apple TV who is ‘canceling’ the said sequel, but rather the writer and director Jon Watts.
George Clooney and Brad Pitt’s Wolfs Might Not Get a Sequel
After helming three well-received Spider-Man movies, director Jon Watts went on to try his hands on creating his own original movie series through Wolfs. Written and directed by him, starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt, the director was hoping to kick start an action franchise and that is what was announced initially.
While the film might not have turned out to be as much of a success critically, it was nonetheless exciting to see our favorite action heroes reunite. Thus, there was some general excitement among fans for a possible sequel, especially since the first ended on a cliffhanger. However, Watts recently revealed to Deadline that he, not Apple TV, has dropped the idea of a sequel.
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.
Stated the director about the distressing betrayal by the studio. Moreover, despite telling them that he had dropped out of writing or creating a sequel, the studio went on to announce that such a sequel is in the works. Hurt and feeling blindsided by the streaming giant, the Spider-Man helmer, thus, had no other choice but to make the cruel decision of not moving forward with his plans for a franchise.
Jon Watts No Longs Trusts Apple TV as a Creative Partner
Conflicts between studios and directors have existed for a long time, and these have only increased and become complex with the introduction of streaming. Simultaneous releases or having a small release window to quickly put a movie out on streaming has become, more or less, an unsaid norm in the industry, leading to issues like these.
Director Jon Watts had high hopes for his film Wolfs and was even hoping to create a sequel and possibly more entries in what potentially would have been his own franchise. However, after facing the cruel betrayal by Apple, he revealed to Deadline that he quietly returned all the money he had gotten for writing a sequel.
Although he would love to work with Pitt and Clooney and the rest of the cast again, he no longer trusts Apple TV as a creative partner and seems to be done with them once and for good. As for Apple TV, they are yet to respond but as sources close to Deadline suggest, they have not yet closed the doors for a sequel and might actually go ahead with it without Watts.
Wolfs is available to be streamed on Apple TV+.
