Jon Watts
Jon Watts | |
---|---|
Born | |
Education | New York University |
Occupation | |
Years active | 2000–present |
Notable work | |
Spouse(s) | Dianne McGunigle |
Jon Watts (born June 28, 1981)[1] is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His credits include directing the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) superhero films Spider-Man: Homecoming and Spider-Man: Far From Home, and the upcoming Spider-Man: No Way Home; he has also signed to direct the MCU's 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.
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.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
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]
Personal life[]
Watts is married to former talent agent and producer Dianne McGunigle.[13]
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 | Post-production |
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 | 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[]
- ^ 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.
- ^ Breznican, Anthony (23 June 2015). "Meet Jon Watts, the new director of Spider-Man". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 24 June 2015.[failed verification]
- ^ "Cop Car Official Website". Focus Features.
- ^ Clay Pride: Being Clay in America, retrieved 2018-11-29
- ^ "Why Eli Roth Made 'Spider-Man' Director Jon Watts' Fake Horror Trailer Into a Feature Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
- ^ Thompson, Anne (2015-08-14). "How Jon Watts Went from Sundance Indie 'Cop Car' to 'Spider-Man'". IndieWire. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
- ^ "Spider-Man: Homecoming Director 'Bothered' Sony & Marvel to Get the Job". ScreenRant. 2017-07-05. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
- ^ "Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts: 'I'm not really sure how I got this job'". The Independent. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
- ^ "Interview w/ Writer Christopher Ford (Clown, The Clovehitch Killer & Spider-Man Homecoming)". BEYOND THE VOID HORROR PODCAST. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "'Spider-Man' Sequel Delays Release to November 2021 Amid Sony Date Shuffle". The Hollywood Reporter. 24 April 2020. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
External links[]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jon Watts. |
- 1981 births
- American film producers
- American male screenwriters
- American music video directors
- Living people
- People from Fountain, Colorado
- New York University alumni
- Film directors from Colorado
- Screenwriters from Colorado
- American film director stubs