UPDATE: Six weeks later, and the trades are finally reporting on this. Sneider was way ahead of curve when it came to this story. Also, why is Deadline reporting it as an “exclusive”?
EARLIER: Following his Sundance breakout debut, “Cop Car,” director Jon Watts has mostly concentrated his creative energy on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So far, he’s directed “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” and “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
However, Watts’ next film, “Wolfs,” steers him far away from the MCU, but is no less a major project, starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney. It’s barely getting a theatrical run, with Apple nixing its wide release for a one-week stay in theaters before streaming on Apple TV+ the following week.
A report (via The InSneider) is now revealing that Watts has just 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. It should be noted that Watts is already in business with Disney on Lucasfilm’s Star Wars series “Skeleton Crew,” starring Jude Law.
For the time being, Watts is set to direct a ‘Wolfs’ sequel with Pitt/Clooney. I would imagine the Disney partnership will kick into effect right after that, and no doubt this new deal Watts has with them will be spurring some rumors about whether he’s coming back to direct “Spider-Man 4.”