Director reveals why he canceled George Clooney-Brad Pitt's 'Wolfs' sequel
The acclaimed director of Wolfs, Jon Watts, has revealed that he canceled the sequel to the film, not Apple TV+. Despite Wolfs becoming the most-viewed feature film on Apple TV+, Watts recently confirmed to Collider that there would be no follow-up. This decision came after Apple shifted from a full theatrical release of Wolfs to a limited one with a quick transition to streaming.
Watts's disappointment over Apple's last-minute shift
Watts told Deadline, "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." "I 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."
Watts returned sequel money to Apple
Further, Watts revealed that he had returned the money Apple gave him for the sequel. "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." "But the truth is that Apple didn't cancel the Wolfs sequel, I did, because I no longer trusted them as a creative partner."
Apple remains open to 'Wolfs' sequel despite Watts's decision
Despite Watts's decision, sources close to Apple reportedly consider Wolfs a success and remain open to a sequel. At the Venice premiere of Wolfs, George Clooney joked about working with Brad Pitt, saying, "There's nothing good about it. It's all a disaster," before adding, "It's fun to work with people you know really well." The film also starred Austin Abrams and Amy Ryan.