Jon Watts

For similarly named individuals, see John Watts.

Jonathan Watts (born June 28, 1981)^[1] 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).^[2] 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.

Jon Watts
Watts at the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con
Born	Jonathan Watts (1981-06-28) June 28, 1981 (age 43) Fountain, Colorado, U.S.
Education	New York University
Occupations	Film director screenwriter producer
Years active	2000–present
Known for	Director of Spider-Man films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)
Spouse	Dianne McGunigle

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.^[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. He even directed a few videos that were selected in episodes of Online Nation.^[5]

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.^[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]

Watts has also directed Spider-Man: No Way Home, which was released on December 17, 2021,^[11][12] where he also provided the motion-capture for Sandman while Thomas Haden Church reprised the voice of the character from Spider-Man 3.^[13] 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.^[14][15] 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.^[16] The scene was shot during the filming of No Way Home.^[17]

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.^[18] By the end of the month, the project had been acquired by Apple Studios, and was expected to receive a "robust theatrical release".^[19]

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.^[20]

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.^[21] This series was soon revealed as Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, scheduled to premiere in 2024.^[22][23]

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.^[24]

Personal life

Watts is married to former talent agent and producer Dianne McGunigle.^[25]

Filmography

Film

Director and producer

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer	Notes
2011	Natural Selection	No	No	Associate
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 provided the motion-capture of Sandman[13]
2024	Wolfs	Yes	Yes	Yes
2025	Final Destination: Bloodlines	No	Story	Yes

Actor

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

Other

Year	Title	Role
2000	Sexy Beast	Operator, photogenics unit
2012	Robot & Frank	Thanks credit
2021	Venom: Let There Be Carnage	Directed mid-credits scene (Uncredited)[26]

Television

Year	Title	Director	Producer	Writer	Notes
2011	Onion News Network	Yes	Co-executive	No	Directed 10 episodes
	The Fuzz	Yes	Yes	Yes	TV pilot
2012	Eugene!	Yes	Executive	Yes	TV movie
2022	The Old Man	Yes	Executive	No	Directed episodes "I" and "II"
2024	Star Wars: Skeleton Crew	Yes	Executive	Yes	Showrunner and creator Directed 2 episodes Written 6 episodes

Music video

Year	Title	Artist	Notes
2004	"Stepping Off"	Jason Forrest	[27]
	"Wonderful Night"	Fatboy Slim	[28]
	"The Joker"		[5]
2005	"The Irish Keep Gate-crashing"	The Thrills	[5]
	"The Beautiful Side of Somewhere"	The Wallflowers	[29]
	"We Live on Your Street"	The Willowz	[30]
	"Beating Heart Baby"	Head Automatica	[5]
	"When the Lights Go Down"	Armand van Helden	[5]
	"Soul Meets Body"	Death Cab for Cutie	[31]
	"Who I Am Hates Who I've Been"	Relient K	[32]
	"Into Your Eyes"	Armand van Helden	[5]
2006	"We Are One Tonight"	Switchfoot	[5]
	"That Old Pair of Jeans"	Fatboy Slim	[33]
	"Oh, Mandy"	The Spinto Band	co-directed with Sean Donnelly[34]
	"White Daisy Passing"	Rocky Votolato	[5]
	"Wolf Like Me"	TV on the Radio	[5]
	"Taking Back Control"	Sparta	[5]
2007	"Pieces of the People We Love"	The Rapture	co-directed with Ben Dickinson[35]
	"Pressure Suit"	Aqualung	[36]
	"The Beauty in Ugly"	Jason Mraz	[37]
2008	"Dust"	Royworld	[38]
2009	"Candle (Sick and Tired)"	The White Tie Affair	[39]
2010	"Young Girl"	Dawn Landes	[40]
	"Brand New Day"	Joshua Radin	[41]
	"Destroy"	The Japanese Popstars ft. Jon Spencer	[42]
2011	"Rill Rill"	Sleigh Bells	[43]
	"Save the World"	Swedish House Mafia	[44]

Commercials

Year	Title	Brand	Notes
2004	"Magic Trick"	Frosted Flakes	[45]
	"Breaking News"	The New York Times	[46]
2006	"Lazybone"	24 Hour Fitness	[47]
	"Reflection"		[48]
	"Training"		[49]
2007	"Tonguezilla"	Sprite	[50]
	"Diner"		[51]
	"Elevator"		[52]
	"Garfield Clock"	eBay	[53]
2008	"Green Flag"	ESPN / NASCAR	[54]
	"The Duel"		[55]
	"Neighborhood"	Sci-Fi / Eureka	[56]
	"Darkmane"	ESPN / X Games	[57]
2009	"7 Second Demos"	Windows 7	[58]
2010	"Alien Field Trip"	Lunchables	[59]
	"In the Loop"	Nokia	[60]
2011	"Wrong Decisions"	Coldwell Banker	[61]
	"Cooking Show"	Philadelphia	[62]
2012	"5 Cents"	MetLife	[63]
	"Hold Music"		[64]
2013	"Never Change"	Sprint	[65]
2014	"Teachers"	Jacob's	[66]
	"Park"		[67]
	"Rally"		[68]
2017	"Sea of Chaos"	Clash Royale	[69]

See also

• List of New York University alumni

References

1. Kit, Borys (June 23, 2015). "Robert Downey Jr. and Secret Screen-Tests: How the New 'Spider-Man' Team Was Chosen". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 12, 2015.
2. Breznican, Anthony (June 23, 2015). "Meet Jon Watts, the new director of Spider-Man". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved June 24, 2015.^{[failed verification]}
3. "Cop Car Official Website". Focus Features. Archived from the original on June 23, 2015. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
4. Clay Pride: Being Clay in America, retrieved November 29, 2018
5. "Jon Watts technician videography". mvdbase.com. Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
6. "Why Eli Roth Made 'Spider-Man' Director Jon Watts' Fake Horror Trailer Into a Feature Film". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
7. Thompson, Anne (August 14, 2015). "How Jon Watts Went from Sundance Indie 'Cop Car' to 'Spider-Man'". IndieWire. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
8. "Spider-Man: Homecoming Director 'Bothered' Sony & Marvel to Get the Job". ScreenRant. July 5, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
9. "Spider-Man: Homecoming director Jon Watts: 'I'm not really sure how I got this job'". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 14, 2022. Retrieved December 3, 2018.
10. "Interview w/ Writer Christopher Ford (Clown, The Clovehitch Killer & Spider-Man Homecoming)". BEYOND THE VOID HORROR PODCAST. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
11. Mancuso, Vinnie (September 27, 2019). "Jon Watts in Talks to Direct 'Spider-Man 3' Co-Produced by Disney and Sony". Collider. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
12. "'Spider-Man' Sequel Delays Release to November 2021 Amid Sony Date Shuffle". The Hollywood Reporter. April 24, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
13. Jirak, Jamie (February 23, 2022). "Spider-Man: No Way Home's Jon Watts Performed Motion Reference Clips for Sandman". ComicBook.com. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
14. Gartenburg, Chaim (December 10, 2020). "The Fantastic Four will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe in an upcoming movie directed by Jon Watts". The Verge. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
15. Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 29, 2022). "'Spider-Man' Director Jon Watts Exits Marvel's 'Fantastic Four'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 29, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
16. B. Vary, Adam (December 29, 2021). "'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Screenwriters Explain All Those Surprises and Spoilers: 'This Wasn't Just Fan Service'". Variety. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
17. "'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Interviews With Tom Holland, Zendaya, Kevin Feige & More". CinemaBlend. December 9, 2021. Retrieved January 5, 2022 – via YouTube.
18. "George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Jon Watts Movie Package Sends Studios, Streamers Into Bidding War (Exclusive)".
19. Fleming, Mike Jr. (September 29, 2021). "Apple Studios Lands Coveted Jon Watts-Directed Thriller To Star George Clooney & Brad Pitt". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
20. B. Vary, Adam (January 11, 2022). "'Final Destination' Franchise Revived With 'Spider-Man' Director Jon Watts Producing". Variety. Retrieved January 19, 2022.
21. Sharf, Zack. (May 17, 2022). "Jon Watts' 'Star Wars' Series Revealed: A Galactic Version of 1980s Coming-of-Age Adventures". Variety. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
22. Otterson, Joe (May 26, 2022). "'Star Wars' Sets New Disney+ Series 'Skeleton Crew,' Jude Law to Star". Variety. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
23. Bate, Josh (November 26, 2023). "Five New Star Wars Shows Are Reportedly Debuting on Disney+ in 2024". Comic Book Resources. Archived from the original on November 28, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
24. Fleming, Jr., Mike (September 18, 2024). "'Spider-Man: No Way Home' Director Jon Watts Sets First-Look Film Deal With Walt Disney Studios". Deadline. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
25. Yamato, Jen (July 6, 2017). "How Donald Glover wound up in 'Spider-Man: Homecoming,' and what it might mean for an inclusive future". Los Angeles Times.
26. Bernhardt, Adam (December 29, 2021). "Spider-Man: No Way Home Filmmaker Jon Watts Directed Venom 2 Post-Credit Scene". ComicBook. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
27. "RESFEST 2006". RES Media Group. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
28. "FATBOY SLIM HAS A WONDERFUL NIGHT". NME. October 15, 2004. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
29. "NEW RELEASE: The Wallflowers "The Beautiful Side Of Somewhere"". VideoStatic. June 24, 2005. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
30. "The Willowz - We Live On Your Street". Vimeo. April 8, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
31. "NEW RELEASE: Death Cab For Cutie "Soul Meets Body"". VideoStatic. October 21, 2005. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
32. "NEW RELEASE: Relient K "Who I Am Hates Who I've Been"". VideoStatic. October 10, 2005. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
33. "NEW RELEASE: Fatboy Slim "That Old Pair Of Jeans"". VideoStatic. June 22, 2006. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
34. "The Spinto Band "Oh, Mandy" (dir./anim.: Jon Watts @ waverly & Sean Donnelly @ awesome+modest)". Antville. June 27, 2006. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
35. "NEW RELEASE: Rapture "Pieces Of The People We Love"". VideoStatic. February 28, 2007. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
36. "BOOKED: Aqualung - Jon Watts, director". VideoStatic. February 2, 2007. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
37. "SHOT: Jason Mraz - Jon Watts, director". VideoStatic. January 26, 2007. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
38. "Royworld - Dust". Vimeo. March 29, 2010. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
39. "BOOKED: The White Tie Affair - Jon Watts, director". VideoStatic. January 7, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
40. "New Dawn Landes Video – "Young Girl" (Stereogum Premiere)". Stereogum. January 13, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
41. "Joshua Radin's Brand New Day by Jon Watts". Promonews. June 16, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
42. "The Japanese Popstars' Destroy feat. Jon Spencer by Jon Watts". Promonews. July 6, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
43. "WATCH IT: Sleigh Bells "Rill Rill" (Jon Watts, dir.)". VideoStatic. January 28, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
44. "WATCH IT: Swedish House Mafia "Save The World" (Jon Watts, dir.)". VideoStatic. May 20, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
45. "AICP Awards - Frosted Flakes". AICP Awards. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
46. "AICP Awards - Breaking News". AICP Awards. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
47. "24 Hour Fitness : Lazybone". AdAge. January 30, 2006. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
48. "24 Hour Fitness : Reflection". AdAge. January 30, 2006. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
49. "24 Hour Fitness : Training". AdAge. January 30, 2006. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
50. "Sprite : Tonguezilla". AdAge. July 5, 2007. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
51. "Sprite : Diner". AdAge. July 5, 2007. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
52. "Sprite : Elevator". AdAge. November 30, 2007. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
53. "eBay : Garfield Clock". AdAge. October 23, 2007. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
54. "ESPN - "Green Flag"". Adforum. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
55. "ESPN - "The Duel"". Adforum. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
56. "Sci Fi Channel : Eureka Neighborhood". AdAge. July 31, 2008. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
57. "ESPN X GAMES - DARKMANE". stuffdavedid.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
58. "Windows 7 Demos". Vimeo. April 3, 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
59. "Oscar Mayer Lunchables: Alien Field Trip". Adeevee. February 6, 2010. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 13, 2022.
60. "Nokia Stop Motion". richthegaffer.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
61. "Coldwell Banker: Wrong Decisions". Best Ads on TV. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
62. "Kraft Philadelphia Cooking Cr". Adeevee. February 20, 2011. Archived from the original on January 13, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
63. "Metlife: 5 Cents". Best Ads on TV. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
64. "Metlife - Hold Music". Vimeo. March 11, 2014. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
65. "Sprint Film Advert By Leo Burnett, Digitas: Never Change". Ads of the World. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
66. "Jacob's Cream Crackers - "The Tiny Baker Meets Some Teachers"". Adforum. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
67. "Jon Watts". David Reviews. Archived from the original on June 1, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
68. "Jon Watts". David Reviews. Archived from the original on June 2, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
69. "Clash Royale's 2v2 - "Sea of Chaos"". Adforum. Retrieved January 12, 2022.

External links

• Jon Watts at IMDb
• Official website