Jon Watts appears to have had enough of the MCU. For now, anyway. The director of all three recent Spider-Man movies has exited his upcoming gig on the anticipated Fantastic Four movie. Why? According to Deadline, the filmmaker says he needs a “break” from superheroes.
Honestly, that makes more sense than the “creative differences” line we’re normally fed. Watts has been a busy guy directing three Spider-Man movies in fairly quick succession, with each escalating in scale. A “breather” is definitely deserved.
The split is amicable, with Watts and Marvel brass having nothing but good things to say.
“Collaborating with Jon on the Spider-Man films has been a true pleasure,” said Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, and co-President Louis D’Esposito. “We were looking forward to continuing our work with him to bring the ‘Fantastic Four’ into the MCU but understand and are supportive of his reasons for stepping away. We are optimistic that we will have the opportunity to work together again at some point down the road.”
“Making three Spider-Man films was an incredible and life-changing experience for me,” Watts said in a statement. “I’m eternally grateful to have been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for seven years. I’m hopeful we’ll work together again and I can’t wait to see the amazing vision for Fantastic Four brought to life.”
So it sounds like things are all-good with Marvel, and who knows? Watts may return to the fold before long. His next project appears to be the George Clooney/Brad Pitt lone wolf fixers project set up at Apple.
