Jon Watts
{{Short description|American filmmaker (born 1981)}}
{{For|similarly named individuals|John Watts (disambiguation){{!}}John Watts}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Jon Watts by Gage Skidmore 2.jpg
| caption = Watts at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con
| birth_name = Jonathan Watts
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1981|6|28}}
| birth_place = Fountain, Colorado, U.S.
| education = New York University
| occupation = {{Flatlist|
- Film director
- screenwriter
- producer
}}
| yearsactive = 2000–present
| known_for = Director of Spider-Man films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
| spouse = Dianne McGunigle
}}
Jonathan Watts (born June 28, 1981){{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/how-new-spider-man-team-804569 |title= Robert Downey Jr. and Secret Screen-Tests: How the New 'Spider-Man' Team Was Chosen|date=June 23, 2015|access-date=July 12, 2015|work=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Borys|last=Kit}} is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the Spider-Man films within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU): Homecoming (2017), Far From Home (2019), and No Way Home (2021).{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/article/2015/06/23/jon-watts-new-director-spider-man|title=Meet Jon Watts, the new director of Spider-Man|date=June 23, 2015|access-date=June 24, 2015|first=Anthony|last=Breznican|magazine=Entertainment Weekly}}{{failed verification|date=July 2019}} He also directed and co-wrote the films Clown (2014), Cop Car (2015), and Wolfs (2024); as well as directing many episodes of the parody television news series Onion News Network. Watts has also directed music videos for electronic music artists such as Fatboy Slim and Swedish House Mafia.
Early life
Watts was born on June 28, 1981, and raised in Fountain, Colorado, where he attended Fountain-Fort Carson High School. He studied film at New York University.{{cite web|title=Cop Car Official Website|url=http://www.focusfeatures.com/cop_car/castncrew?member=jon_watts|publisher=Focus Features|access-date=June 23, 2015|archive-date=June 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623213313/http://www.focusfeatures.com/cop_car/castncrew?member=jon_watts|url-status=dead}}
Career
Watts began his directing career by directing commercials for production company Park Pictures.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}
Watts' film career started with the short Clay Pride: Being Clay in America. A claymation film, it is a satire of films about gay issues, with the main character, Steve Thompson, coming out as "clay".{{Citation|title=Clay Pride: Being Clay in America|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0327579/|access-date=November 29, 2018}} Over the next decade, Watts would continue to work in short films, as well as directing several music videos for various artists including Fatboy Slim, Death Cab for Cutie, Relient K, Sleigh Bells, Head Automatica, and TV on the Radio. He even directed a few videos that were selected in episodes of Online Nation.{{cite web |url= http://www.mvdbase.com/person.php?id=C9676|title= Jon Watts technician videography|work= mvdbase.com|access-date= January 11, 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151102001641/http://www.mvdbase.com/person.php?id=C9676|archive-date= November 2, 2015}}
Watts' feature directorial debut was the 2014 horror film, Clown. Watts and his friend Christopher Ford had made a fake trailer for a film about a father turning into a demonic killer clown after trying on an old costume he finds in his basement. After uploading the trailer to YouTube, Watts was approached by Eli Roth with an offer to produce a feature version.{{Cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/rambling-reporter/why-eli-roth-made-spider-897094|title=Why Eli Roth Made 'Spider-Man' Director Jon Watts' Fake Horror Trailer Into a Feature Film|work=The Hollywood Reporter|access-date=November 29, 2018|language=en}}
Watts' next film was the 2015 thriller, Cop Car. The film is about two young boys who steal an abandoned police car and are pursued by its murderous owner, a Sheriff played by Kevin Bacon. In an interview, Watts revealed that the idea for the film came from a dream he had when he was a child.{{Cite news|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2015/08/how-jon-watts-went-from-sundance-indie-cop-car-to-spider-man-184699/|title=How Jon Watts Went from Sundance Indie 'Cop Car' to 'Spider-Man'|last=Thompson|first=Anne|date=August 14, 2015|work=IndieWire|access-date=December 3, 2018|language=en-US}}
Watts then directed Spider-Man: Homecoming. Watts was so determined to be the director of the film that he admitted that he had "bothered" Marvel by sending them clips of a fake trailer he made for a Spider-Man movie.{{Cite news|url=https://screenrant.com/spider-man-homecoming-director-marvel-sony/|title=Spider-Man: Homecoming Director 'Bothered' Sony & Marvel to Get the Job|date=July 5, 2017|work=ScreenRant|access-date=December 3, 2018|language=en-US}} He admits that he was very surprised and did not know he was going to get the job until the last moment.{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/spider-man-homecoming-jon-watts-a7813301.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220614/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/spider-man-homecoming-jon-watts-a7813301.html |archive-date=June 14, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts: 'I'm not really sure how I got this job'|work=The Independent|access-date=December 3, 2018|language=en-GB}}
Watts directed the film's 2019 sequel Spider-Man: Far From Home. He reportedly became increasingly devoted to the franchise, even starting his own extensive collection of rare spiders.{{Cite web|url=https://www.longlivethevoid.com/news/christopherfordintv|title=Interview w/ Writer Christopher Ford (Clown, The Clovehitch Killer & Spider-Man Homecoming)|website=BEYOND THE VOID HORROR PODCAST|language=en-US|access-date=January 9, 2019}}
Watts has also directed Spider-Man: No Way Home, which was released on December 17, 2021,{{Cite web|title=Jon Watts in Talks to Direct 'Spider-Man 3' Co-Produced by Disney and Sony|url=https://collider.com/jon-watts-spider-man-3-director/|last=Mancuso|first=Vinnie|date=September 27, 2019|website=Collider|language=en-US|access-date=May 24, 2020}}{{Cite web|title='Spider-Man' Sequel Delays Release to November 2021 Amid Sony Date Shuffle|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/spider-man-sequel-delays-release-november-2021-sony-date-shuffle-1291805|website=The Hollywood Reporter|date=April 24, 2020|language=en|access-date=May 24, 2020}} where he also provided the motion-capture for Sandman while Thomas Haden Church reprised the voice of the character from Spider-Man 3.{{Cite web|title=Spider-Man: No Way Home's Jon Watts Performed Motion Reference Clips for Sandman|url=https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/spider-man-no-way-homes-jon-watts-performed-motion-reference-clips-for-sandman/|last=Jirak|first=Jamie|date=February 23, 2022|website=ComicBook.com|language=en-US|access-date=February 24, 2022}} He was confirmed to be directing The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which would be set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but exited the project in April 2022.{{Cite web|title=The Fantastic Four will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in an upcoming movie directed by Jon Watts|url=https://www.theverge.com/2020/12/10/22168833/the-fantastic-four-marvel-studios-cinematic-universe-jon-watts|last=Gartenburg|first=Chaim|date=December 10, 2020|website=The Verge|language=en-US|access-date=December 10, 2020}}{{Cite web |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |date=April 29, 2022 |title='Spider-Man' Director Jon Watts Exits Marvel's 'Fantastic Four' |url=https://deadline.com/2022/04/spider-man-jon-watts-exits-marvel-fantastic-four-film-1235013110/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220429210959/https://deadline.com/2022/04/spider-man-jon-watts-exits-marvel-fantastic-four-film-1235013110/ |archive-date=April 29, 2022 |access-date=April 29, 2022 |website=Deadline Hollywood}} Watts also directed the mid-credits scene of Venom: Let There Be Carnage, a tie-in to No Way Home, which was released two months earlier on October 1, 2021.{{Cite web|title='Spider-Man: No Way Home' Screenwriters Explain All Those Surprises and Spoilers: 'This Wasn't Just Fan Service'|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/spider-man-no-way-home-spoilers-tobey-maguire-andrew-garfield-aunt-may-1235144617/|last=B. Vary|first=Adam|date=December 29, 2021|website=Variety|language=en-US|access-date=December 30, 2021}} The scene was shot during the filming of No Way Home.{{Cite web |title='Spider-Man: No Way Home' Interviews With Tom Holland, Zendaya, Kevin Feige & More |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDlSY7rDAfk |publisher=CinemaBlend |via=YouTube |date=December 9, 2021|access-date=January 5, 2022}}
In September 2021, it was revealed that Watts would write and direct the thriller film Wolfs starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt. He would also produce the project along with the two actors.{{cite news|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/george-clooney-brad-pitt-jon-watts-movie-package-sends-studios-streamers-bidding-war-1235020609/|title=George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Jon Watts Movie Package Sends Studios, Streamers Into Bidding War (Exclusive)}} By the end of the month, the project had been acquired by Apple Studios, and was expected to receive a "robust theatrical release".{{Cite web|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr.|url=https://deadline.com/2021/09/apple-studios-lands-jon-watts-george-clooney-brad-pitt-1234847123/|title=Apple Studios Lands Coveted Jon Watts-Directed Thriller To Star George Clooney & Brad Pitt|date=September 29, 2021|access-date=April 12, 2022|website=Deadline Hollywood}} However, six weeks before the film's release, Apple pivoted the film to a limited release.{{Cite web |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |date=2024-08-07 |title=Apple Original Films Sets Sequel To George Clooney-Brad Pitt Drama 'Wolfs' By Jon Watts As Film Pivots To Limited Theatrical Release Before Apple TV+ Bow |url=https://deadline.com/2024/08/apple-sets-wolfs-sequel-jon-watts-george-clooney-brad-pitt-drama-pivots-limited-theatrical-before-apple-tv-streaming-bow-1236034117/ |access-date=2025-01-22 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}
In January 2022, Watts and his wife were announced to have joined the sixth installment of the Final Destination series as co-producers. Watts also wrote a film treatment as well, adapted by Lori Evans Taylor and Guy Busick.{{cite web |url= https://variety.com/2022/film/news/final-destination-6-jon-watts-producing-spider-man-1235151244/|title= 'Final Destination' Franchise Revived With 'Spider-Man' Director Jon Watts Producing|access-date= January 19, 2022|date= January 11, 2022|work= Variety|first= Adam|last= B. Vary}}
In May 2022, it was revealed that Watts would create and executive produce an Amblin inspired Star Wars TV series for Disney+ that is set after the events of Return of the Jedi.{{Cite web|last=Sharf|first=Zack.|title=Jon Watts' 'Star Wars' Series Revealed: A Galactic Version of 1980s Coming-of-Age Adventures |url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/jon-watts-star-wars-series-coming-of-age-adventure-1235269103/|date=May 17, 2022|access-date=May 17, 2022|website=Variety}} This series was soon revealed as Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, which premiered in 2024.{{cite web |last1=Otterson |first1=Joe |title='Star Wars' Sets New Disney+ Series 'Skeleton Crew,' Jude Law to Star |url=https://variety.com/2022/tv/news/star-wars-disney-plus-series-skeleton-crew-jude-law-1235278548/ |website=Variety |access-date=May 26, 2022 |date=May 26, 2022}}{{Cite web|last=Bate|first=Josh|date=November 26, 2023 |title=Five New Star Wars Shows Are Reportedly Debuting on Disney+ in 2024|url=https://www.cbr.com/five-new-star-wars-shows-disney-plus-2024/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128224949/https://www.cbr.com/five-new-star-wars-shows-disney-plus-2024/ |archive-date=November 28, 2023 |access-date=January 30, 2024|website=Comic Book Resources}}
In September 2024, Watts and his wife McGunigle, along with their production company Freshman Year, signed a first-look feature deal with Walt Disney Studios. Under the deal, Watts will direct feature-length projects for Disney live-action and 20th Century Studios with the option to produce.{{Cite web |last=Fleming |first=Mike Jr. |date=September 18, 2024 |title='Spider-Man: No Way Home' Director Jon Watts Sets First-Look Film Deal With Walt Disney Studios |url=https://deadline.com/2024/09/spider-man-no-way-home-director-jon-watts-sets-first-look-film-deal-with-walt-disney-studios-1236093031/ |access-date=November 22, 2024 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}}
Personal life
Watts is married to former talent agent and producer Dianne McGunigle.{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-spider-man-homecoming-donald-glover-20170706-story.html|title=How Donald Glover wound up in 'Spider-Man: Homecoming,' and what it might mean for an inclusive future|first=Jen|last=Yamato|website=Los Angeles Times|date=July 6, 2017}}
Filmography
= Film =
| class="wikitable"
|+ |
| Year
! Title ! width="65" |Director ! width="65" |Writer ! width="65" |Producer ! Notes |
|---|
| 2014
| Clown | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{no}} | |
| 2015
| Cop Car | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | |
| 2017
| {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{no}} | |
| 2019
| {{yes}} | {{no}} | {{no}} | |
| 2021
| {{yes}} | {{no}} | {{no}} | Also provided the motion-capture of Sandman |
| 2024
| Wolfs | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | |
| 2025
|{{No}} |{{Partial|Story}} |{{Yes}} | |
Actor
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role |
|---|
| 2008
| Jake |
| 2015
| Commercial Director |
Other
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Role |
|---|
| 2000
| Operator, photogenics unit |
| 2011
| Associate producer |
| 2012
| Thanks credit |
| 2021
| Directed mid-credits scene (Uncredited){{Cite web |last=Bernhardt |first=Adam |date=December 29, 2021 |title=Spider-Man: No Way Home Filmmaker Jon Watts Directed Venom 2 Post-Credit Scene |url=https://comicbook.com/marvel/news/venom-2-let-there-be-carnage-jon-watts-filmed-post-credits-scene/ |website=ComicBook |access-date=December 29, 2021}} |
=Television=
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! width=65 |Director ! Producer ! width=65 |Writer ! Notes |
|---|
| rowspan="2"| 2011
| {{yes}} | {{yes|Co-executive}} | {{no}} | Directed 10 episodes |
| The Fuzz
| {{yes}} | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | TV pilot |
| 2012
| Eugene! | {{yes}} | {{yes|Executive}} | {{yes}} | TV movie |
| 2022
| {{yes}} | {{yes|Executive}} | {{no}} | Directed episodes "I" and "II" |
| 2024–2025
| {{yes}} | {{yes|Executive}} | {{yes}} | Showrunner and creator |
=Music videos=
=Commercials=
| class="wikitable" |
| Year
! Title ! Brand ! Notes |
|---|
| rowspan=2| 2004
| "Magic Trick" |
| "Breaking News" |
| rowspan=3| 2006
| "Lazybone" | rowspan="3"| 24 Hour Fitness |
| "Reflection" |
| "Training" |
| rowspan=4| 2007
| "Tonguezilla" | rowspan="3"| Sprite |
| "Diner" |
| "Elevator" |
| "Garfield Clock"
| eBay |
| rowspan=4| 2008
| "Green Flag" |
| "The Duel" |
| "Neighborhood" |
| "Darkmane" |
| 2009
| "7 Second Demos" |
| rowspan=2| 2010
| "Alien Field Trip" |
| "In the Loop"
| Nokia |
| rowspan=2| 2011
| "Wrong Decisions" |
| "Cooking Show" |
| rowspan=2| 2012
| "5 Cents" | rowspan="2"| MetLife |
| "Hold Music" |
| 2013
| "Never Change" | Sprint |
| rowspan=3| 2014
| "Teachers" | rowspan="3"| Jacob's |
| "Park" |
| "Rally" |
| 2017
| "Sea of Chaos" |
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{Commons category}}
- {{IMDb name|1218281}}
- {{Official website|http://jonwatts.tv/}}
{{Jon Watts}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watts, Jon}}
Category:21st-century American male writers
Category:21st-century American screenwriters
Category:American male screenwriters
Category:American music video directors
Category:Film directors from Colorado
Category:Film producers from Colorado
Category:New York University alumni