The Next Level
Sony Pictures
Some might see Jon Watts being given the privilege of directing Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man trilogy as having been handed keys to the kingdom. Weirdly, landing a superhero gig isn’t necessarily the brass ring to reach for anymore, but rather a stepping stone to be in the even rarer position of getting to make the kind of original, star-led features that used to be the studios’ bread and butter.
Christopher Nolan was given a level of power and control by Warner Bros. unseen since Stanley Kubrick, but unlike the “Eyes Wide Shut” helmer, Nolan had to earn that power making three capes-and-tights movies for them. But not every superhero filmmaker gets to capitalize on it the same way. “Black Panther” filmmaker Ryan Coogler wanted to direct the Atlanta test cheating drama “Wrong Answer” after that Marvel triumph, but did not get to it before “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” called. The team of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have only been doing episodic TV since their “Captain Marvel” success two years ago. Scott Derrickson has gone back to his low-budget horror roots for next year’s “The Black Phone,” almost six years after his last movie, “Doctor Strange.” Even the Russo Brothers’ Oscar bait followup to “Avengers: Endgame,” the addiction drama “Cherry” starring Tom Holland, got a streaming-only release and was savaged by the critics.
Getting to direct his own original script as a big budget movie for Apple with a contractual theatrical release and Clooney and Pitt in tow is a big moment for Jon Watts, perhaps the biggest. If he can prove himself as a guy who can make original, non-IP movies that still score big he can genuinely take his career to the next level. And if that fails, there’s always capes-and-tights, right?
Apple Wins Bidding War For George Clooney-Brad Pitt Thriller From Spider-Man Director
Warner Bros. Pictures
By Max Evry/Sept. 30, 2021 10:29 am EST
The Next Level
Sony Pictures
Some might see Jon Watts being given the privilege of directing Marvel Studios’ Spider-Man trilogy as having been handed keys to the kingdom. Weirdly, landing a superhero gig isn’t necessarily the brass ring to reach for anymore, but rather a stepping stone to be in the even rarer position of getting to make the kind of original, star-led features that used to be the studios’ bread and butter.
Christopher Nolan was given a level of power and control by Warner Bros. unseen since Stanley Kubrick, but unlike the “Eyes Wide Shut” helmer, Nolan had to earn that power making three capes-and-tights movies for them. But not every superhero filmmaker gets to capitalize on it the same way. “Black Panther” filmmaker Ryan Coogler wanted to direct the Atlanta test cheating drama “Wrong Answer” after that Marvel triumph, but did not get to it before “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” called. The team of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have only been doing episodic TV since their “Captain Marvel” success two years ago. Scott Derrickson has gone back to his low-budget horror roots for next year’s “The Black Phone,” almost six years after his last movie, “Doctor Strange.” Even the Russo Brothers’ Oscar bait followup to “Avengers: Endgame,” the addiction drama “Cherry” starring Tom Holland, got a streaming-only release and was savaged by the critics.
Getting to direct his own original script as a big budget movie for Apple with a contractual theatrical release and Clooney and Pitt in tow is a big moment for Jon Watts, perhaps the biggest. If he can prove himself as a guy who can make original, non-IP movies that still score big he can genuinely take his career to the next level. And if that fails, there’s always capes-and-tights, right?
Christopher Nolan was given a level of power and control by Warner Bros. unseen since Stanley Kubrick, but unlike the “Eyes Wide Shut” helmer, Nolan had to earn that power making three capes-and-tights movies for them. But not every superhero filmmaker gets to capitalize on it the same way. “Black Panther” filmmaker Ryan Coogler wanted to direct the Atlanta test cheating drama “Wrong Answer” after that Marvel triumph, but did not get to it before “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” called. The team of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have only been doing episodic TV since their “Captain Marvel” success two years ago. Scott Derrickson has gone back to his low-budget horror roots for next year’s “The Black Phone,” almost six years after his last movie, “Doctor Strange.” Even the Russo Brothers’ Oscar bait followup to “Avengers: Endgame,” the addiction drama “Cherry” starring Tom Holland, got a streaming-only release and was savaged by the critics.
Getting to direct his own original script as a big budget movie for Apple with a contractual theatrical release and Clooney and Pitt in tow is a big moment for Jon Watts, perhaps the biggest. If he can prove himself as a guy who can make original, non-IP movies that still score big he can genuinely take his career to the next level. And if that fails, there’s always capes-and-tights, right?
