Director Jon Watts cancels ‘Wolfs’ sequel after streaming rift with Apple

Director Jon Watts walks away from planned Wolfs sequel due to Apple's unexpected shift to streaming, despite initial greenlight.

Director Jon Watts has revealed that the planned sequel to Wolfs, starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt, will not move forward—not due to cancellation by Apple, but because he chose to walk away.

In a statement to Deadline, Watts shared his frustration with Apple’s abrupt decision to shift Wolfs from a promised wide theatrical release to a one-week limited theater run before streaming. “I loved working with Brad and George... and would happily do it again,” Watts said. “But the truth is that Apple didn’t cancel the Wolfs sequel, I did, because I no longer trusted them as a creative partner.”

Watts revealed that Apple had initially been thrilled with his final cut of Wolfs and had immediately greenlit a sequel. However, the unexpected pivot to streaming was made without his knowledge. “Their last-minute shift... was a total surprise and made without any explanation or discussion. I wasn’t even told until less than a week before they announced it,” he explained.

The director returned the advance for the sequel, requesting Apple not announce the project, but claims the company ignored his request. “I didn’t want to generate any unnecessary negative press,” Watts said.

Watts’ experience echoes Doug Liman’s comments about Road House, whose theatrical release was similarly pulled after Amazon’s acquisition of MGM. Liman criticized the lack of compensation for creatives despite streaming success,