Apple Quietly Killed Brad Pitt’s Wolfs Sequel

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As a lifelong movie fan, I’ve always loved both George Clooney and Brad Pitt – they’re just Hollywood royalty! They’ve given us so many fantastic films, both on their own and together. So when I heard about Wolfs, with Jon Watts – who’d just had huge success with Spider-Man – directing and them both starring, it felt like a dream project. Sadly, it just didn’t live up to the hype. It sort of slipped by quietly, and apparently a lot of issues behind the scenes really damaged what could have been a truly amazing sequel.

Following the huge success of No Way Home, director Watts wanted to return to his earlier, more personal style of filmmaking. He wrote a new story about two competing cleanup crews for crime scenes who are unexpectedly forced to collaborate on a strange case. The project quickly gained the attention of major stars Brad Pitt and George Clooney, and looked poised for another box office hit. However, just six weeks before release, Apple TV+ made a decision that upset Watts, Pitt, and Clooney, leading to the complete cancellation of a previously announced sequel.

Wolfs Was a Throwback to Another Era of Moviemaking

It might seem odd, but when Watts greenlit an action-comedy with Pitt and Clooney, it felt like a big risk. Over the past ten years, Hollywood has made fewer and fewer movies specifically for adults that aren’t blockbusters, and it often feels like that kind of filmmaking is disappearing.

Most movies released in theaters now are either big-budget spectacles based on familiar stories, or smaller, independent films. It’s become increasingly difficult to convince people to go to the cinema unless they’re certain they’ll enjoy the movie, and as a result, mid-budget films – like thrillers, romantic comedies, and action movies with well-known actors – have largely moved to streaming services.

When Watts wrote Wolfs, he understood how difficult it was to get original stories noticed. He believed he could improve his chances by getting Brad Pitt and George Clooney – who were incredibly popular together in the Ocean’s Eleven movies – to star. Luckily, Clooney was easy to convince; Watts simply reminded him of his successful role as a problem-solver for a law firm in a 2007 film he’d been Oscar-nominated for.

Clooney cautioned that getting Pitt on board would be a challenge, which worried the director as he prepared to pitch the idea to the Fight Club star over Zoom. But when Pitt immediately smiled and said, “Two fixers. Same job. I get it,” Watts realized Clooney had been joking. Clooney had actually already discussed the project with Pitt, who was enthusiastic and agreed, “It’ll be fun. Let’s do it.”

Apple TV Promised a Wide Theatrical Release for Wolfs

Overnight, Wolfs became highly sought after in Hollywood, sparking a competitive bidding process among major studios like Sony, Warner Bros., and Universal, as well as streaming services like Netflix and Amazon MGM Studios. Ultimately, Watts and his team chose Apple TV+ because the platform committed to a significant theatrical release before making the film available only on its streaming service.

Both Brad Pitt and George Clooney reportedly accepted reduced salaries to help ensure the film was released in cinemas, showing how committed everyone was to a theatrical release. Naomi Watts explained to Vanity Fair that she always envisioned the movie being shown on the big screen, believing it was the ideal way to experience it.

I have to admit, I was pretty shocked when I heard the news just six weeks before release. Despite all the initial buzz, Wolfs won’t be getting a proper theatrical run. Instead, it’s getting a very limited, one-week showing in theaters before heading straight to streaming on September 27th, 2024. It’s a real disappointment for Watts and the cast, and frankly, a bit of a blow to anyone who was looking forward to seeing it on the big screen.

Reports suggested Apple became worried after films like Ridley Scott’s Napoleon and Matthew Vaughn’s Argylle didn’t earn back their production costs in theaters. When Fly Me To The Moon, starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum, also failed to succeed in July 2024, Apple reportedly grew even more concerned about whether Wolfs would perform well in cinemas.

I was completely stunned by what happened, and honestly, so was Watts. He’d told me Apple loved the first movie so much they immediately asked him to start working on a sequel! So, when the streaming service told him they weren’t going to give it a theatrical release – and did it less than a week before the news came out – he begged them not to mention the sequel in the press release. He really didn’t want people thinking he was okay with them breaking their promise if it meant he was already working on the next film.

Apple’s timing frustrated many. They announced the next movie just as they revealed the first wouldn’t be shown in cinemas, which felt like a mixed message – both believing in the project and doubting its potential success. Things got even stranger when the first movie, Wolfs, quickly became Apple’s most popular film ever. However, at the peak of its success, the sequel was unexpectedly canceled.

Watts Was Furious That Apple Broke Its Promises, and it Left the Wolfs Sequel in Limbo

Moviegoers loved the film’s smooth, funny, and stylish story about experienced problem-solvers doing what they do best. It delivered everything many viewers had wanted for years: a genuinely enjoyable mid-budget movie with big stars, excellent direction, and a clever script. While it likely would have been a blockbuster in the 1990s, it still succeeded even years later. With the film’s popularity, a sequel seemed like a natural next step, but director Watts surprised everyone with an interview in Deadline explaining why one wouldn’t happen.

In November 2024, director Sam Watts explained that while he enjoyed working with Brad and George, he ultimately decided to cancel the planned sequel to his film Wolfs. He clarified that the decision wasn’t Apple’s, but his own, as he’d lost faith in their creative direction. Watts also revealed he returned the advance payment he received for the sequel, wanting to avoid any negative publicity that might harm the original film, which he was proud of. It’s extremely unusual for a director to give up their fee and abandon a project that had already been approved, but Watts was clearly very upset with Apple and didn’t want to work with them again.

Ultimately, the issues with Wolfs came down to a clash between artistic vision and business realities. Despite featuring two major stars and a highly successful director, the project wasn’t considered commercially promising. However, Apple’s decision to break promises to Watts, Pitt, and Clooney might be seen as a mistake, because Wolfs actually performed extremely well on the platform and achieved what Apple had hoped for.

Currently, the sequel is on hold. It’s very unlikely the original director will come back to make it, and a traditional studio probably won’t fund a theatrical release given the current film market. Sadly, it looks like Wolfs will be remembered as just another casualty of the ongoing fight between theatrical releases and streaming in Hollywood, which is disappointing.

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2026-02-03 01:15