SPIDER-MAN 4: Jon Watts FINALLY Reveals Why He Isn't Returning To Direct The MCU Movie

SPIDER-MAN 4: Jon Watts FINALLY Reveals Why He Isn't Returning To Direct The MCU Movie

Jon Watts will not return to direct the next Spider-Man movie for Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures and now elaborates on why he’s moved on from the MCU to focus on characters and ideas he’s created...

By JoshWilding - Sep 01, 2024 10:09 AM EST
Filed Under: Spider-Man
Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Jon Watts cut his teeth on indie movies like Clown and Cop Car, but his big break came when Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures tapped him to helm 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming

He'd later return for Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), with the latter presenting more than its fair share of challenges thanks to the pandemic. Still, the threequel was a massive hit and Watts was announced as the director of The Fantastic Four, only to walk away from the project months later. 

Now, the untitled Spider-Man 4 - which is expected to be released between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars - finds itself without a director because Watts will not return to helm the wall-crawler's next adventure. 

Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker broke his silence on moving on from the MCU by admitting he's all too aware that following Spider-Man: No Way Home will be near impossible. 

"That was such a specific moment in time, and the reaction to that movie was just so unbelievable," he says, explaining he came to the realisation that, "It’s never going to be like this, ever again."

After working on Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, Watts has focused on Wolfs, a new action-comedy starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt as two rival fixers forced to work together. 

"Sometimes you do an action movie, and all the fun action stuff is given to the second-unit director," he says. "On the Marvel movies, you split up the work because there’s so much to be done. Rarely do you get the Christopher Nolan opportunity to do all of it. On this one, I was like, 'I want to shoot every single shot.'"

While it's easy to read between the lines here to see that Watts is enjoying his freedom outside the confines of the MCU, it seems his reason for not directing Spider-Man 4 or The Fantastic Four: First Steps is because, when all is said and done, these aren't his characters.

"I was just getting started and Marvel came along - and I take full creative ownership over all those films - but Spider-Man is always going to be Stan Lee and Steve Ditko‘s creation," he says. "This was the chance for me to go back to my voice and my vision and my style. Wolfs is mine, and that’s a really good feeling."

It doesn't seem there are any hard feelings, though, because it was back in July when Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige said, "We love Jon. Jon did three of the best Spider-Man films ever for us. He's got lots of things going on now. So we'll probably be looking for somebody else, just because he's busy."

Who do you think should direct Spider-Man 4?

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OptimusCrime
OptimusCrime - 9/1/2024, 9:38 AM
Good😉
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 9/1/2024, 9:39 AM
Jumping ship at the heigh of your film series is good. Marvel will never get back to that height anyway so move on while you still can and do what you want without bother.
EskimoJ
EskimoJ - 9/1/2024, 10:09 AM
@vectorsigma - Hey, where've you been hiding at?

Missed your unrelenting Marvel negativity.
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 9/1/2024, 10:44 AM
@EskimoJ - yeah, just got back.

Im only negative in response to what marvel is giving us. I was not negative when watts made his spider-man films and a lot of movies prior to phase 4
cubrn
cubrn - 9/1/2024, 12:29 PM
@vectorsigma - There she is. We missed you.
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 9/1/2024, 9:34 PM
@cubrn - i missed everyone as well!
harryba11zack
harryba11zack - 9/1/2024, 9:41 AM
good, wasn't a fan of his work. just hope for the next one they get a better director and most importantly a good writing team.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 9/1/2024, 9:45 AM
He gave us a consistently good trilogy, and did some fun stuff with Spidey. Now let’s see what the next guy can do.
TheClungerine
TheClungerine - 9/1/2024, 10:03 AM
@FireandBlood -

'consistently good trilogy'

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FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 9/1/2024, 10:33 AM
@TheClungerine - Consistently great, even. They’re all very well written and directed movies that not only restored the franchise to its former glory but took it to new heights.

Between the MCU movies, Spider-Verse movies and PlayStation games, this franchise is in the best state any franchise could hope to be in.
Superspecialawesomeguy
Superspecialawesomeguy - 9/1/2024, 10:55 AM
@FireandBlood - "He gave us a consistently good trilogy"

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ItsNotForMeWahh
ItsNotForMeWahh - 9/1/2024, 11:00 AM
@FireandBlood - Far From Home is good and these people are wack

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TheClungerine
TheClungerine - 9/1/2024, 11:03 AM
@FireandBlood - lmao nah all of those films were carried by good performances from the villains.

For me the first two were OK. Didn't like the writing at all 🤣 I loved the 3rd but that's probably because spiderman1 is a goat level cbm to me
TCronson
TCronson - 9/1/2024, 11:08 AM
@FireandBlood - they are far from well directed or written, but they are kinda consistent and strangle its audience with aggressive fan servince and cinematic universe references, and that's what people want.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 9/1/2024, 11:47 AM
@TheClungerine - They weren’t carried by the villains anymore than the first two Raimi movies were, and it’s a testament to how good Holland’s Parker has been that he had a better rivalry with Dafoe’s Goblin than Maguire did.
KennKathleen
KennKathleen - 9/1/2024, 12:29 PM
@ItsNotForMeWahh - no one referred to any singular film....



you did.

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ItsNotForMeWahh
ItsNotForMeWahh - 9/1/2024, 12:58 PM
@KennKathleen - k
TheClungerine
TheClungerine - 9/1/2024, 1:33 PM
@FireandBlood - that last line of yours is blasphemy!! Ain't no way hollands Peter had a better rivalry 🤣 he just lost more at the hands of Raimis goblin.
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 9/1/2024, 1:44 PM
@TheClungerine - But he did. Not only was Dafoe in top form, so was Holland. That level of intensity wasn’t there between him and Maguire.

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FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 9/1/2024, 1:45 PM
@TheClungerine - And that scene was before Goblin took anything away from Peter
Biggums
Biggums - 9/1/2024, 4:04 PM
@FireandBlood - I said tom Holland isn't the best casting
FireandBlood
FireandBlood - 9/1/2024, 4:09 PM
@Biggums - Tom Holland is 10/10 casting my guy
DenimChicken
DenimChicken - 9/1/2024, 6:25 PM
@FireandBlood - I also thought the movies were good and consistent but idk I guess that’s just my opinion. I’m glad Jon Watts directed them. I’m also looking forward to a new director/vision as well.
TCronson
TCronson - 9/1/2024, 9:19 PM
@FireandBlood - "That level of intensity wasn’t there between him and Maguire."
You are talking nonsense, brutal final fight between Maguire and Defo in SM1 trumps any Holland vs Defo in NWH, like it's not even close.
whynot
whynot - 9/1/2024, 9:45 AM
IMO it always comes down to the money. They should have brought the truck of money in with negotiations
vectorsigma
vectorsigma - 9/1/2024, 10:46 AM
@whynot - he wanted the creative freedom which marvel cannot give him. Its not always about money for these creatives. The Russos for example are not creatives, lolz
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 9/1/2024, 11:24 AM
@whynot - sure but they are also people who genuinely want to do all kinds of things and expand their creative horizons which seems to be the case here.
Izaizaiza
Izaizaiza - 9/1/2024, 9:46 AM
That's cool. I enjoyed his Spidey films, but I hope the next one feels a little more classic spider-man
marvel72
marvel72 - 9/1/2024, 9:50 AM
I can only watch these movies for Spider-Man and his villains, the supporting cast suck.
Malatrova15
Malatrova15 - 9/1/2024, 9:50 AM
He should be dancin dance
S8R8M
S8R8M - 9/1/2024, 9:58 AM
I am sure he will come back one day or be a creative consultant in the next spiderman.
Good on him wanting to do his own thing.
Batmangina
Batmangina - 9/1/2024, 10:23 AM
End on a the highest possible high - ask Sam Raimi about doing 'One More'

TBH, I now ffwd through any and all non-Spidey scenes - the high school shit is lame.
asherman93
asherman93 - 9/1/2024, 2:20 PM
@Batmangina - TBF, Raimi DID want to do "one more" after 3 because he wanted to give his take on the character a proper send-off after the meddling that 3 went through.
Gambito
Gambito - 9/1/2024, 10:42 AM
Clearly a hired hand but I’ll give him credit he pulled off 3 movies finally gave us Mysterio, Vulture, Spidey meeting Matt Murdoch and of course No way Home his movies put the film film series back on top I’m actually looking forward to his Clooney movie looks pretty good
Tidaltree
Tidaltree - 9/1/2024, 11:20 AM
A quite elegant way not to say that he doesn't wanna be part in a Sony-driven Spider-Man movie.
ShimmyShimmyYA
ShimmyShimmyYA - 9/1/2024, 11:22 AM
NWH is a hard rewatch
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 9/1/2024, 11:33 AM
@ShimmyShimmyYA - how so?.

I do think the first half is just decent but the second half elevates the film.

Peter’s arc in that especially remains strong imo.
ShimmyShimmyYA
ShimmyShimmyYA - 9/1/2024, 11:53 AM
@TheVisionary25 - the plot itself it’s fine. It’s the direction , all those over exaggerated hold for applause moments kill the momentum
TheVisionary25
TheVisionary25 - 9/1/2024, 11:58 AM
@ShimmyShimmyYA - hmmmm

I haven’t felt that way but to each their own
ShimmyShimmyYA
ShimmyShimmyYA - 9/1/2024, 12:06 PM
@TheVisionary25 - it’s most evident when the 2 other spiders show up at Ned’s , that long pause bothers me
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