After three lucrative and well-received Spider-Man movies, director Jon Watts took a detour to more original territory with Wolfs, which he also wrote. It was intended to kick off a franchise, going so far as to end on a cliffhanger, and a franchise is exactly what was announced. However, Watts himself has confirmed that is not to be, and now he’s shed some light on the why of it all.
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According to Deadline, it was Watts himself who nixed the sequel, not Apple. It’s a surprising development, considering the film did well with audiences, to the point it became the most viewed feature film Apple TV+ has ever released. The reason? A simple matter of trust.
What Exactly Happened?
Watts was under the impression the film would be a theatrical release, as in a wide release. Apple, however, only gave Wolfs a very limited window on the big screen on a comparably limited number of screens before making it available for streaming exclusively on their platform. In fact, this decision was made right around the same time the sequels were announced, so it seems those involved with the film were fairly blindsided.
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“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 release to a streaming release was a total surprise and made without any explanation or discussion,” Watts said. “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…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 went on to say that he returned the money he was given to write the sequel and that he pulled the plug on a sequel because he “no longer trusted them [Apple] as a creative partner.”
This stands in contrast to Doug Liman’s issues with Amazon regarding Road House. He shot it with the intention of securing and enjoying a wide release, but ultimately Amazon pivoted to making it a streaming exclusive. The difference, as Jake Gyllenhaal has confirmed, is that he and Liman were informed of this pivot relatively early on. Watts wasn’t, and no matter how much behind-the-scenes negotiation occurs to try and get the ball rolling on a potential (but unlikely) follow-up, it’s a pretty safe bet that Watts will in no way be involved. However, he did mention that he “loved working with Brad and George (and Amy and Austin and Poorna and Zlatko) and would happily do it again,” so never say never on the team coming up with another project to bring to the screen. The big screen.
Wolfs is now available to stream with an Apple TV+ subscription