Brad Pitt and George Clooney's Wolfs director reveals he cancelled sequel as he no longer 'trusted' Apple

The manager of Wolves has opened up astir wherefore Brad Pitt and George Clooney won't beryllium reuniting anytime soon for a sequel to Apple TV+'s deed film.

Jon Watts revealed that it was his decision—not Apple's—to propulsion the plug connected the star-studded sequel, which had go the most-watched movie ever released connected the streaming platform.

'The information is that Apple didn’t cancel the Wolves sequel, I did, due to the fact that I nary longer trusted them arsenic a originative partner,' Watts told Deadline connected Saturday.

The drama, according to Watts, began erstwhile Apple unexpectedly changed the film’s merchandise strategy, switching from a afloat theatrical merchandise to a constricted tally earlier rapidly moving the $200M movie to streaming—something Watts described arsenic a 'total surprise.' 

'I was wholly shocked and asked them to delight not see the quality that I was penning a sequel,' helium continued. 'They ignored my petition and announced it successful their property merchandise anyway, seemingly to make a affirmative rotation connected their streaming pivot.'

Fed up with the situation, Watts said helium 'quietly returned the money' Apple had fixed him for the sequel. 

'I didn’t privation to speech astir it due to the fact that I was arrogant of the movie and didn’t privation to make immoderate unnecessary antagonistic press,' helium added. 

'I loved moving with Brad and George (and Amy and Austin and Poorna and Zlatko) and would happily bash it again. But the information is that Apple didn’t cancel the Wolfs sequel, I did, due to the fact that I nary longer trusted them arsenic a originative partner.'

Three months agone the movie had been optioned for a sequel weeks before making its satellite premiere astatine the 81st Venice International Film Festival

It was revealed by THR In August that Wolfs director/screenwriter Watts had scored a caller woody with Apple to helm a sequel to the upcoming action-comedy.

At the time, Deadline confirmed that Pitt and Clooney volition reprise their roles for the follow-up project.

As portion of the the large announcement, it was besides revealed that Wolfs volition premiere connected Apple TV+ connected September 27 pursuing a constricted one-week theatrical merchandise done Sony.

Wolfs was primitively meant to transition from a wide theatrical merchandise earlier debuting connected Apple TV+ but those plans had changed.

Pitt and Clooney were reportedly paid $35 cardinal each to enactment successful the caper film, and had insisted connected a merchandise successful cinemas. 

But makers Apple had a alteration of bosom and the film, which insiders accidental outgo up to $200 cardinal each in, is present lone being released successful cinemas successful the US for 1 week.

In each different territories it volition spell consecutive to streaming, making it easy the astir costly TV movie ever made.

Apple's alteration of bosom follows a tally of costly films made by the streamer - including Napoleon, Killers of the Flower Moon and Argylle - each flopping astatine the cinema.

Clooney denied that their fees were arsenic precocious arsenic $35 million, saying the existent fig was 'many galore millions below' that amount.

But helium added that it was a 'bummer' the mode it had worked out.

He said: 'We would person liked that, we wanted that, and Brad and I gave immoderate of our wage backmost to bash that. We person had immoderate bumps on the way, and that happens.

'It's a bummer, of people it's a bummer, but a batch of radical are going to spot the movie and we are getting a merchandise successful a fewer 100 theatres. It would person been bully to get a wider release.'

He said that the economics of streaming are inactive being 'figured out' but added: 'We are figuring it out. We request Apple and Amazon and they request Sony oregon Warners who person been doing it for 100 years.'

Upon merchandise of the archetypal film, the  buddy-cop diagnostic had been eviscerated by critics, who person branded it a one-star 'messy' dud and an 'unbearable comedy.'

Wolfs follows the 2 Ocean's Eleven co-stars arsenic they are forced to begrudgingly enactment unneurotic to 'fix' a occupation that arises erstwhile a tough-on-crime DA wakes up with a dormant 20-something with whom she was having a one-night stand.

But critics accidental the movie — which had a record-breaking fund for immoderate streaming movie — falls flat, with IGN's Siddhant Adlakha slamming it arsenic a 'slick pupil movie from a affluent teen who's subsisted connected a media fare of aboriginal Guy Ritchie.'

The Guardian's Xan Brooks also wrote that the 'joke mightiness beryllium on' manager Jon Watts, who made a luck disconnected of the Marvel Cinematic Universe's Spider-Man trilogy, 'because what he's made is fundamentally the movie of the meme successful which 2 Spideys constituent astatine each other.' 

And The Telegraph's Robbie Collin called the movie 'messy.'

He wrote: 'George Clooney precocious complained that Quentin Tarantino doesn't see him a movie star. If helium makes much films similar this, Clooney volition soon beryllium Tarantino right.' 

Adlakha writes that the problems with the film, which debuted successful Venice Sunday night, 'arise aboriginal and frequently.'

He and the different critics accidental Watts seemed to person banked connected Clooney's and Pitt's star-status to marque it a container bureau hit, with a lackluster crippled and a 'half-baked publication with small wit oregon heart.'