Apple's decision to abandon theatrical releases and focus on streaming has not been well-received by Hollywood's old guard, leading filmmaker Jon Watts to cancel Wolfs 2.
After releasing four major movies – Killers of the Flower Moon, Napoleon, Argylle, and Fly Me to the Moon – in theaters with limited success, Apple shifted its strategy away from theatrical premieres.
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The change was announced with the release of Wolfs, starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney, which had been planned for a global theatrical premiere but was instead released directly on Apple TV+ in 4K Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos at no extra charge.
Subsequent movies have also skipped wide theatrical releases, including Blitz, which debuted on Apple TV+ this week. The only exception is Apple's F1, also starring Brad Pitt, which is still expected to follow its original theatrical release plan.
'Wolfs' sequel cancelled
The decision to shift Wolfs to Apple TV+ came as a surprise to filmmaker Jon Watts, according to comments made to Deadline.
- "(T)heir last minute shift from a promised wide theatrical release to a streaming release was a total surprise and made without any explanation or discussion. I wasn't even told about it until less than a week before they announced it to the world. I was completely shocked and asked them to please not include the news that I was writing a sequel. They ignored my request and announced it in their press release anyway, seemingly to create a positive spin to their streaming pivot," Jon Watts told Deadline.
'Wolfs' on Apple TV+. Photo: Apple
As a consequence Watts made the decision to cancel the Wolfs sequel.
- "And so I quietly returned the money they gave me for the sequel. I didn't want to talk about it because I was proud of the film and didn't want to generate any unnecessary negative press. I loved working with Brad and George (and Amy and Austin and Poorna and Zlatko) and would happily do it again. But the truth is that Apple didn't cancel the Wolfs sequel, I did, because I no longer trusted them as a creative partner."
Apple remains open to a sequel, according to sources.
- Source: Deadline
