Jon Watts created some headlines yesterday when he let slip that the “Wolfs” sequel was canceled, even though the film became the most viewed feature film ever released on Apple TV+.
Watts has now decided to clarify the whole story, telling Deadline that it wasn’t the streamer that canceled the sequel to “Wolfs,” but rather himself, and this decision came right after Apple stripped the film of its theatrical release. Watts sounds really angry:
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. 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.
In case you’re unaware, Apple recently reviewed their overspending on movie projects and decide to pull back on theatrical rollouts by capping the budget for “most” of their future releases at $80M or less.
The streamer is also going to be limiting “event-worthy theatrical runs” to just 1 to 2 films per year. This comes after Apple’s recent commercial failures, some of which cost $200M+ each to produce (“Killers of the Flower Moon,” “Napoleon”). As mentioned, one of Apple’s victims was “Wolfs,” starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney, which ended up getting a very limited one-week theatrical run.
No wonder Apple TV recently fired their head of marketing. The streamer is a total mess when it comes to their movie slate. Their latest victim was Steve McQueen’s “Blitz” which is also had a one-week Oscar qualifying run in November, and is now available to stream. McQueen recently told IndieWire that he was “not happy” with the decision.
Apple Studio’s 2025 slate includes Joseph Kosinski’s “F1,” Scott Derrickson’s “The Gorge,” Spike Lee’s “Highest 2 Lowest,” Guy Ritchie’s “Fountain of Youth,” Paul Greengrass’ “Lost Bus,” and Jonah Hill’s “Outcome.”
As for Watts, he recently inked a first-look deal with Disney. The studio is looking to use him creatively in similar fashion to how J.J. Abrams was tasked to oversee Star Wars for the mouse house.
Of course, we all know the rule: take these reactions with a grain of salt rather than treating them as gospel. Still, I will say that the film tested like gangbusters earlier this year, and Lionsgate clearly has confidence.