Jon Watts | |
|---|---|
 Watts at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | June 28, 1981 Fountain, Colorado, U.S. |
| Education | New York University |
| Occupation | |
| Years active | 2000–present |
Notable work | Clown Cop Car Spider-Man: Homecoming Spider-Man: Far From Home Spider-Man: No Way Home |
| Spouse(s) | Dianne McGunigle |
Jon Watts (born June 28, 1981)[1] is an American filmmaker. His credits include directing the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) superhero films Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and Spider-Man: No Way Home; he has also signed to direct the Marvel Studios-produced Fantastic Four.[2] He also directed and co-wrote films Clown, Cop Car, and directed numerous episodes of the parody television news series Onion News Network.
Biography[]
Watts was born and raised in Fountain, Colorado where he attended Fountain-Fort Carson High School. He studied film at New York University.[3]
Before directing movies, Watts directed commercials for production company Park Pictures.
He is married to former talent agent and producer Dianne McGunigle.[4]
Film career[]
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".[5] 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, and TV on the Radio.
Watts' feature directorial debut was the 2014 horror film, Clown. Watts and his friends had made a fake trailer for a film about a father turning into a 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.[6]
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.[7]
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.[8] He admits that he was very surprised and did not know he was going to get the job until the last moment.[9]
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.[10] One such spider is the black widow, which caused a golf ball sized lump after biting an Irish man on the genitals.[11] There has been no indication as to whether the man was trying to become Spiderman in this manner.
Watts has also directed Spider-Man: No Way Home, which was released on December 17, 2021.[11][12] He is also confirmed to be directing the third theatrical iteration of the Fantastic Four, which will be set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. [13] 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. The scene was shot during the filming of No Way Home.
In September 2021, it was revealed that Watts will write and direct a thriller film starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt. He will also produce the project along with the two actors.
In January 2022, Watts and his wife were announced to be joining the sixth installment of the Final Destination series as co-producers. Watts also wrote a film treatment as well, to be adapted by Lori Evans Taylor and Guy Busick.
Filmography[]
Feature films[]
| Year | Film | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Clown | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2015 | Cop Car | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2017 | Spider-Man: Homecoming | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2019 | Spider-Man: Far From Home | Yes | No | No | |
| 2021 | Spider-Man: No Way Home | Yes | No | No | Also stand-in for Thomas Haden Church |
| TBA | Fantastic Four | Yes | No | No | In development |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Onion News Network | Yes | Yes | No | Director: 10 episodes Co-executive producer: 11 episodes |
| The Fuzz | Yes | Yes | Yes | TV pilot not picked up as a series | |
| 2012 | Eugene! | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Acting roles[]
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | I Can See You | Jake |
| 2015 | Creative Control | Commercial Director |
Other credits[]
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Sexy Beast | Operator, photogenics unit |
| 2011 | Natural Selection | Associate producer |
| 2012 | Robot & Frank | Thanks credit |
References[]
- ↑ Kit, Borys (23 June 2015). "Robert Downey Jr. and Secret Screen-Tests: How the New 'Spider-Man' Team Was Chosen". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Breznican, Anthony (23 June 2015). "Meet Jon Watts, the new director of Spider-Man". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
{{cite web}}: Template:Fv - ↑ "Cop Car Official Website". Focus Features.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Yamato, Jen. "How Donald Glover wound up in 'Spider-Man: Homecoming,' and what it might mean for an inclusive future". latimes.com.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Clay Pride: Being Clay in America, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0327579/, retrieved 2018-11-29
- ↑ "Why Eli Roth Made 'Spider-Man' Director Jon Watts' Fake Horror Trailer Into a Feature Film" (in en). The Hollywood Reporter. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/rambling-reporter/why-eli-roth-made-spider-897094.
- ↑ Thompson, Anne (2015-08-14). "How Jon Watts Went from Sundance Indie ‘Cop Car’ to ‘Spider-Man’" (in en-US). IndieWire. https://www.indiewire.com/2015/08/how-jon-watts-went-from-sundance-indie-cop-car-to-spider-man-184699/.
- ↑ "Spider-Man: Homecoming Director 'Bothered' Sony & Marvel to Get the Job" (in en-US). ScreenRant. 2017-07-05. https://screenrant.com/spider-man-homecoming-director-marvel-sony/.
- ↑ "Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts: 'I’m not really sure how I got this job'" (in en-GB). The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/spider-man-homecoming-jon-watts-a7813301.html.
- ↑ "Interview w/ Writer Christopher Ford (Clown, The Clovehitch Killer & Spider-Man Homecoming)". BEYOND THE VOID HORROR PODCAST. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Mancuso, Vinnie (2019-09-27). "Jon Watts in Talks to Direct 'Spider-Man 3' Co-Produced by Disney and Sony". Collider. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ "'Spider-Man' Sequel Delays Release to November 2021 Amid Sony Date Shuffle". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
{{cite web}}: - ↑ Gartenburg, Chaim (2020-12-10). "The Fantastic Four will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in an upcoming movie directed by Jon Watts". The Verge. Retrieved 2020-12-10.
{{cite web}}:
External links[]
Template:Jon Watts