Writer-director Jon Watts previews the action-comedy and reveals how he got the two movie stars back together.
Jon Watts is trading in spiders for animals of a different kind.
The story plays out over the course of one night one very cold winter night in NYC.
Brad Pitt and George Clooney in ‘Wolfs’.Scott Garfield/Apple TV+
“That was so stupid of me,” Watts tellsEntertainment Weekly, laughing about the predicament he created.
“Iwrote the movie, I could have written it anywhere.
I could have written it at any time of year.
Director Jon Watts on the set of ‘Wolfs’.Scott Garfield/Apple TV+
I chose New York at night.”
But he had good motivation.
I love it here, and I wanted to put that on screen, especially in the winter.
George Clooney, Amy Ryan, and Brad Pitt in ‘Wolfs’.Scott Garfield/Apple TV+
New York in the snow is something that you very rarely get to see.
When it really snows, it’s a very unique thing."
They liked Watts' idea, and the trio then took it to studios.
George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Austin Abrams in ‘Wolfs’.Scott Garfield/Apple TV+
“It’s one of those ideas that doesn’t really work unless it’s the two of them.
That’s where it came from,” Watts says.
At least that’s the goal.
George Clooney, Amy Ryan, and Brad Pitt in ‘Wolfs’.Scott Garfield/Apple TV+
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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Why fixers?
What were you interested in exploring with two guys who have made this life and career for themselves?
But it started with, what’s the best lone wolf job?
What could be the coolest, most unique guy ever?
That’s where fixer came from.
These two fixers are working in opposition to each other but toward the same goal, really.
Well, they’re friends in theOceansmovies, this was immediately the opposite of that.
You’re like, can’t you see they’re perfect for each other?
[Laughs] It makes people frustrated in a good way.
And it takes half the movie to realize that.
They have a great ease and this classic style of banter with each other.
That’s what was fun to explore.
So I have the two ends of the awards.
I don’t have anything in between, but I do have the beginning and the end.
Or were they the ones who perhaps brought it up to comment on?
But no, they liked it.
How did setting this over the course of one night give you really specific direction for the action?
And then, on the other hand, in what ways did that challenge you?
I love one-night movies.
You’re not really jumping ahead in time.
We rarely change perspectives.
We’re with the guys the whole time.
You have to get really strict about continuity and things like that.
You don’t get the forgiveness of “cut to: the next day.”
What other cinematic references did you use forWolfs?
I love those movies.
Those are some of my favorite kinds of movies.
Did you meet with a lot of young actors for Austin Abrams' part?
Or did you know him or already have him in mind?
I’ve known him for a while.
He was in my friend Jake Schreier’s movie,Paper Towns.
Austin was just the best.
He was born to play this role.
No, there’s a place that’s like that in New York.
Everything in there on the set was based on a photo from a real place.
So it’s kind of like the greatest hits of all these weird, shady motels in New York.
Did you always want Amy Ryan for that role?
Not a lot of people could do that, and she did it perfectly.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
