Following a massive bidding war that had all of Hollywood duking it out, Apple has emerged victorious, landing the worldwide distribution rights for Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts' next project: an untitled thriller that is slated to star 2x Academy Award-winners and former Ocean's Eleven co-stars George Clooney (Michael Clayton; Up in the Air) and Brad Pitt (Fight Club; Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood) in the lead roles.
Watts will write, direct and produce the film, with Clooney and Pitt starring and co-producing under their respective production houses, Smokehouse Pictures and Plan B Entertainment. As an added and unexpected bonus, the film has been guaranteed an exclusive theatrical release after both Clooney & Pitt sacrificed possible eight-figure paydays to ensure a limited theatrical run.
The untitled thriller will follow two lone wolf fixers, played by Clooney and Pitt, who find themselves assigned to the same job.
This project will be Watts' first original film since 2015's Cop Car, having quickly become a favorite of Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios with his work on Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and this December's Spider-Man: No Way Home.
He's already been tapped to helm Marvel Studios' Fantastic Four, which is currently in its very early stages, but based on this latest development, it seems quite possible that the Clooney/Pitt thriller is gearing up to head into production before he gets to work on introducing Marvel's First Family. Whether both films shoot next year, however, remains to be seen.