In December 2021, Jon Watts discovered himself standing at the back of the Chinese language Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard on the opening evening of his final movie, Spider-Man: No Approach Residence. The entry was one of many first main studio theatrical releases following the pandemic shutdown, and the viewers was standing, screaming, crying and usually carrying on in a approach that, even for the primary exhibiting of a fan-favorite superhero film, was a spectacle all to itself.
“That was such a selected second in time, and the response to that film was simply so unbelievable,” remembers Watts. It was at this level that the director got here to the conclusion: “It’s by no means going to be like this, ever once more.”
No Approach Residence went on to gross almost $2 billion on the international field workplace, the sixth-highest-grossing movie of all time and one of many prime Marvel motion pictures, trailing solely the final two Avengers movies. Watts determined to not return for a fourth Spider-Man, and in 2022 exited because the director of one other Marvel property, Incredible 4. In any trade, it’s exhausting to stroll away from one thing profitable. In up to date Hollywood — the place even Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the superhero fold — it may be career-threatening.
Watts left his resident cinematic universe to pursue an unique idea he had been batting round for years. Impressed by movies just like the beloved French crime thriller Le Samouraï and the Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin two-hander Midnight Run, he turned his consideration to one thing a bit riskier: Wolfs, an action-comedy he scripted himself (learn: no IP) about two rival fixers who’re compelled to work collectively.
The idea, as Watts describes it, is straightforward sufficient: “For these two too-cool-for-school guys, what would burst their bubble greater than assembly somebody that’s principally precisely like them?” he says. However in as we speak’s Hollywood, even a killer premise necessitates star energy. In Watts’ thoughts, the one two actors that might match the mildew — concurrently being the good guys within the room and willingly the butt of the joke — have been George Clooney and Brad Pitt.
Clooney and Pitt on the Venice Movie Fest in 2008. Wolfs will premiere on the Lido after which head to streaming after a one-week theatrical run.
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Pictures
Whereas nonetheless enhancing No Approach Residence, Watts logged on to a Zoom with Clooney who, together with longtime producing companion Grant Heslov, was reaching out throughout the digital ether to listen to a pitch for Wolfs. “It was a very simple pitch to George: It’s like two Michael Claytons,” remembers Watts. Clooney and Heslov have been offered, however they cautioned Watts, telling him, “Brad’s going to be robust. He’s very choosy about his initiatives.’ [Clooney] is like, ‘You actually need to have this actually dialed in if you pitch to Brad.’ ”
Watts, set to pitch to Pitt the subsequent day, didn’t sleep that evening. Exhausted and preemptively starstruck, he was readying his pitch when Pitt popped onto his display. “Two fixers. Similar job. I get it, man,” Watts remembers Pitt saying. The director requested if Pitt would nonetheless like to listen to the pitch: “Nah. George informed me the entire thing. It’ll be enjoyable. Let’s do it.” Clooney had referred to as Pitt the day earlier than. “And that was my pitch to Brad Pitt,” says Watts. “They have been simply fucking with me from the start.”
Filming was totally on location in New York Metropolis in December and January. The film takes place fully at evening, which means the roughly 60-day shoot occurred in largely in 15-degree climate. The situations didn’t appear to trouble Clooney and Pitt, who hadn’t shared the display since 2008’s Burn After Studying (through which they actually don’t share the display very a lot — for that, you need to return to 2007’s Ocean’s 13). Whereas on set, in the event that they weren’t working their strains or sharing anecdotes from previous initiatives with an keen forged and crew, Watts would discover Clooney and Pitt exhibiting one another humorous issues they discovered on the web.
“One of many nice delights of the film is that they each embrace their age. There are delicate, candy nods to aching backs and needing studying glasses,” says producer Dede Gardner, the Oscar winner and companion behind Pitt’s Plan B firm.
Exterior of the gravitational pull of Clooney and Pitt, a centerpiece of Wolfs is an enormous chase scene that winds by Chinatown and ends on the Brooklyn Bridge. Regardless of the spectacles that Watts had beforehand directed, the shoot proved to be a brand new and welcome expertise.
“Typically you do an motion film, and all of the enjoyable motion stuff is given to the second-unit director,” says Watts. “On the Marvel motion pictures, you cut up up the work as a result of there’s a lot to be executed. Not often do you get the Christopher Nolan alternative to do all of it. On this one, I used to be like, ‘I need to shoot each single shot.’ ” From a tire screeching to a halt to star Austin Abrams flipping excessive of a BMW in a sensible impact that noticed the Euphoria actor hanging from numerous rigs in his underwear, Watts was behind the digicam for all of it.
“It’s the one time in my life the place you hear a logline after which he says what he’s going to jot down after which he writes it,” says Gardner of Watts’ tenacity. “Then he goes and shoots it, then he goes and cuts it, after which he goes and delivers it. It was simply probably the most straight line.”
Wolfs is bowing on the Venice Movie Competition earlier than heading to theaters on Sept. 20 in a restricted launch after which to streaming every week in a while Apple. Forward of its Lido debut, Apple introduced a Wolfs follow-up. Fortunately, Watts is aware of a factor or three about making a sequel.
Again when Watts directed his first Spider-Man entry, Homecoming, he had one indie function underneath his belt — the Kevin Bacon-fronted 2015 crime thriller Cop Automotive. “I used to be simply getting began and Marvel got here alongside — and I take full inventive possession over all these movies — however Spider-Man is at all times going to be Stan Lee and Steve Ditko‘s creation,” he says. “This was the possibility for me to return to my voice and my imaginative and prescient and my type. Wolfs is mine, and that’s a very good feeling.”
This story first appeared within the August 21 difficulty of The Hollywood Reporter journal. Click on right here to subscribe.