Jon Watts

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 directed and co-wrote films Clown, Cop Car, and directed numerous episodes of the parody television news series Onion News Network.

Jon Watts
Watts at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con
Born (1981-06-28) June 28, 1981
Fountain, Colorado, U.S.
EducationNew York University
Occupation
Years active2000–present
Notable work
Spouse(s)Dianne McGunigle

Early life

Watts was born and raised in Fountain, Colorado, where he attended Fountain-Fort Carson High School. He studied film at New York University.[3]

Career

Watts began his directing career by directing commercials for production company Park Pictures.

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".[4] 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.

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.[5]

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.[6]

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.[7] He admits that he was very surprised and did not know he was going to get the job until the last moment.[8]

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.[9]

Watts has also directed Spider-Man: No Way Home, which is scheduled for release on December 17, 2021.[10][11] He is also confirmed to be directing the third theatrical iteration of the Fantastic Four, which will be set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.[12]

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.[13]

Personal life

Watts is married to former talent agent and producer Dianne McGunigle.[14]

Filmography

Feature films
Year Title 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
TBA Fantastic Four Yes No No In development
TBA Untitled George Clooney-Brad Pitt Thriller Yes Yes Yes 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 TV movie

Acting roles
Year Title Role
2008 I Can See You Jake
2015 Creative Control Commercial Director

Other credits
Year Title Notes
2000 Sexy Beast Operator, photogenics unit
2011 Natural Selection Associate producer
2012 Robot & Frank Thanks credit

References
  1. 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.
  2. Breznican, Anthony (23 June 2015). "Meet Jon Watts, the new director of Spider-Man". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  3. "Cop Car Official Website". Focus Features.
  4. Clay Pride: Being Clay in America, retrieved 2018-11-29
  5. "Why Eli Roth Made 'Spider-Man' Director Jon Watts' Fake Horror Trailer Into a Feature Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  6. Thompson, Anne (2015-08-14). "How Jon Watts Went from Sundance Indie 'Cop Car' to 'Spider-Man'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  7. "Spider-Man: Homecoming Director 'Bothered' Sony & Marvel to Get the Job". ScreenRant. 2017-07-05. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  8. "Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts: 'I'm not really sure how I got this job'". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  9. "Interview w/ Writer Christopher Ford (Clown, The Clovehitch Killer & Spider-Man Homecoming)". BEYOND THE VOID HORROR PODCAST. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
  10. 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.
  11. "'Spider-Man' Sequel Delays Release to November 2021 Amid Sony Date Shuffle". The Hollywood Reporter. 24 April 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
  12. 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.
  13. "George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Jon Watts Movie Package Sends Studios, Streamers Into Bidding War (Exclusive)".
  14. Yamato, Jen (6 July 2017). "How Donald Glover wound up in 'Spider-Man: Homecoming,' and what it might mean for an inclusive future". Los Angeles Times.
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