Wolfs (film)

2024 film by Jon Watts

Wolfs

Apple TV+ release poster

Directed by| Jon Watts
Written by| Jon Watts
Produced by|

* George Clooney
* Grant Heslov
* Brad Pitt
* Dede Gardner
* Jeremy Kleiner
* Dianne McGunigle
* Jon Watts

Starring|

* George Clooney
* Brad Pitt
* Amy Ryan
* Austin Abrams
* Poorna Jagannathan

Cinematography| Larkin Seiple
Edited by| Andrew Weisblum
Music by| Theodore Shapiro

Production
companies

* Apple Studios
* Plan B Entertainment
* Smokehouse Pictures

Distributed by| Apple TV+

Release dates

* September 1, 2024 (2024-09-01) (Venice)
* September 20, 2024 (2024-09-20) (United States)
* September 27, 2024 (2024-09-27) (Apple TV+)

Running time

| 108 minutes
Country| United States
Language| English
Budget| $85 million+[a]

Wolfs is a 2024 American action comedy film written and directed by Jon Watts. The film stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams, and Poorna Jagannathan. Its plot follows two professional fixers who are forced to work together on a job despite their preference to operate as lone wolves.[2][3]

Wolfs premiered out of competition at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2024, and received a limited theatrical release in the United States by Apple Original Films on September 20, 2024, before its streaming debut on Apple TV+ on September 27, 2024. The film received generally mixed reviews from critics.

## Plot

[edit]

Margaret, a Manhattan District Attorney, panics after a young man in her hotel room, who she met at the hotel bar, ends up dead. She calls a number given to her for just such an emergency and secures the services of an unnamed professional fixer. He arrives to dispose of the kid who fell through a glass drinks cart while jumping on the bed. They are interrupted by another unnamed fixer sent by the hotel's mysterious owner, Pam, who saw everything via hidden cameras. To protect the hotel's reputation and Margaret's career, the women urge the two men to work together, much to their chagrin.

The fixers initially refuse, but Margaret reminds her man that he is now on the surveillance footage, and what she was told about him: "You take a job, you give your word, and that word is the measure of a man". The fixers reluctantly join forces, providing Margaret with an alibi and change of clothes and sending her home. They find a large stash of drugs in the kid's bag, which Pam orders them to return to its original owners to avoid further trouble. Margaret's man deftly moves the body to his car using a luggage cart, and the fixers discover the Kid is still alive but overdosing on the drugs.

Knocking the Kid out and stowing him in the trunk, the fixers suspect the drugs belong to a shipment recently stolen from the Albanian mafia. They bring the Kid to June, an underground medical specialist who has history with them both, but the underwear-clad Kid escapes and leads them on a chase through the city. Catching him and sobering him up with pills from June, the fixers interrogate the Kid at a dingy hotel. He explains that he agreed to deliver the drugs as a favor to his friend Diego, but was invited up to Margaret's room and tried the drugs on a whim. The delivery location will be sent to Diego's pager, which is at a club for the Kid to collect.

At the club, the Kid grabs the pager while the fixers get caught up in a wedding kolo and are recognized by Dimitri, a dangerous Croatian mobster. They save themselves by convincing him that they are not working together and depart, but his bodyguard realizes the truth. At a diner, the fixers deduce that drug kingpin Lagrange, Diego's employer, likely stole the Albanians' shipment and the Kid is being set up. Though the fixers expect the Kid will be killed, they agree to let him make the delivery, and the pager is sent the address for the drop.

The fixers watch as the Kid enters Lagrange's warehouse, which is soon ambushed by the Albanians. The two fixers are then ambushed by Dimitri's bodyguards, but shoot their attackers dead and make their way inside, where Lagrange's men and the Albanians have killed each other. The Kid has survived, hiding inside a car trunk, and the fixers prepare to kill him to hide their involvement in the fiasco, but have a change of heart at the last second. Accompanying the Kid home on the subway, they threaten his father to keep quiet about the entire incident.

Having breakfast at a diner in Brighton Beach, the fixers have clearly bonded over their many unspoken things in common, from their clothes and guns to their bad backs and reading glasses, but cannot bring themselves to admit it. Margaret's man asks how Pam convinced the other fixer to work with him, and he says that he was told, "You take a job, you give your word, and that word is the measure of a man". Realizing they are employed by the same person, they unravel the night's events and conclude that their employer orchestrated everything, and they were meant to be eliminated. With hitmen waiting outside, the fixers agree to exchange names if they make it out alive, and open fire.

## Cast

[edit]

* George Clooney as Margaret's Man
* Brad Pitt as Pam's Man
* Amy Ryan as Margaret
* Austin Abrams as Kid
* Poorna Jagannathan as June
* Zlatko Burić as Dimitri
* Richard Kind as Kid's dad
* Frances McDormand as the voice of Pamela Dowd-Henry[4]

## Production

[edit]

In September 2021, a studio bidding war began for a film package that included Jon Watts as writer and director, with George Clooney and Brad Pitt on board to star and produce via their respective production labels, Smokehouse Pictures and Plan B Entertainment.[5] Wolfs reunites the two actors, who previously worked on the Ocean's trilogy (2001–2007) and appeared in one scene together in Burn After Reading (2008).[2][6] Apple TV+ acquired the rights to the film after winning the bidding war against Amazon MGM Studios, Annapurna Pictures, Lionsgate, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Netflix, Sony Pictures (which would briefly take over theatrical distribution rights before it was pivoted to limited), Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. Pictures.[7] Additional cast members were revealed in 2023.[8][9][10] Principal photography reportedly began in January 2023 in New York City, including the neighborhoods of Harlem and Chinatown.[11][12] Larkin Seiple, who previously shot Watts' Cop Car (2015), was the cinematographer of the approximately 70-day shoot.[13]

In August 2024, The New York Times reported that Apple paid Clooney and Pitt more than $35 million to star and Watts more than $15 million to direct the film.[1] Clooney denied this claim, stating, "It is millions and millions and millions of dollars less than what was reported. And I am only saying that because I think it's bad for our industry if that's what people think is the standard bearer for salaries."[14]

## Release

[edit]

Wolfs had a limited theatrical release in the United States on September 20, 2024, before debuting on Apple TV+ on September 27.[15] It was originally set for a wide release since Apple acquired it in 2021, Clooney and Pitt having "made the deal to do that movie where we gave money back to make sure that we had a theatrical release."[16] In December 2023, Apple entered another agreement with Sony Pictures Releasing, following their partnership on Napoleon, to distribute the film in cinemas, scheduling it for release in the United States on September 20, 2024.[17][18]

In August 2024, six weeks before its release, Apple announced its decision to pivot from a wide release to a limited release on the same date.[15][1] The New York Times noted that Sony, who had agreed to distribute the film and split the marketing costs with Apple, was set to begin a national marketing campaign during the 2024 Paris Olympics. However, Zack Van Amburg, who oversees Apple's entertainment programming, canceled those plans and the deal with Sony, as Apple executives hoped "to not risk a public disappointment should the movie not succeed at the box office".[1] Clooney said he and Pitt put some of their salary into keeping the limited release, now handled solely by Apple.[19]

The film premiered out of competition at the 81st Venice International Film Festival on September 1, 2024. Watts skipped the event due to contracting COVID-19.[20]

## Reception

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 68% of 152 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "George Clooney and Brad Pitt's professional star power gives Wolfs zip even when it cycles through clichés of the fixer genre, making for a pleasing and slick throwback."[21] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on 51 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[22]

## Future

[edit]

A month prior to its release, Apple confirmed a sequel was in the works, with Watts, Clooney, and Pitt returning.[15] Of the announcement, Watts said, "Apple's been talking to me about a sequel since I turned in my cut in December [2023]. That's always been an ongoing discussion. I absolutely did not write the movie with a sequel in mind. But it was very fun to make, so I don't know, I think you let the audience decide if they want to see more."[6]

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ While the entire production budget has not been reported, Clooney and Pitt were each reportedly paid $35 million for their involvement in the film, while director Watts earned $15 million.[1]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d Sperling, Nicole (August 25, 2024). "Apple Rethinks Its Movie Strategy After a String of Misses". The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
2. ^ a b Morrow, Brendan (May 29, 2024). "Wolfs trailer: George Clooney, Brad Pitt reunite for first film together in 16 years". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 1, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
3. ^ Echebiri, Makuochi (May 28, 2024). "George Clooney and Brad Pitt Reunite as Hired Killers in Wolfs Trailer". Collider. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
4. ^ Wise, Damon (September 1, 2024). "Wolfs Review: Brad Pitt And George Clooney Face Off As Aging Fixers In Jon Watts' Verbose Action Comedy – Venice Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
5. ^ Kit, Borys (September 24, 2021). "George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Jon Watts Movie Package Sends Studios, Streamers Into Bidding War (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 21, 2022. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
6. ^ a b Canfield, David (August 21, 2024). "Brad Pitt and George Clooney Wanted Their New Movie in Theaters. Apple Had Other Plans". Vanity Fair. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
7. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (September 29, 2021). "Apple Studios Lands Coveted Jon Watts-Directed Thriller To Star George Clooney & Brad Pitt". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 26, 2023. Retrieved September 30, 2021.
8. ^ Kroll, Justin (January 26, 2023). "Amy Ryan Joins George Clooney And Brad Pitt In New Apple Thriller From Jon Watts". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
9. ^ Kroll, Justin (February 1, 2023). "Austin Abrams Joins Brad Pitt And George Clooney In Apple Thriller From Jon Watts". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
10. ^ Cordero, Rosy (February 16, 2023). "Never Have I Ever Star Poorna Jagannathan Joins Brad Pitt & George Clooney In Jon Watts Apple Thriller". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
11. ^ "Wolves Production List". Film & Television Industry Alliance. October 31, 2022. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
12. ^ Lazarus Caplan, Anna (January 27, 2023). "Brad Pitt and George Clooney Have N.Y.C. Night Filming Apple Thriller Wolves — See the Pics!". People. Archived from the original on January 27, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
13. ^ Mulcahey, Matt (June 8, 2023). "'TV Shows are Like Better Funded Independent Films': DP Larkin Seiple on Beef". Filmmaker. Archived from the original on August 7, 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
14. ^ Ford, Lily (September 1, 2024). "George Clooney Denies $35M Wolfs Salaries for Him, Brad Pitt: 'It's Bad If That's What People Think'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
15. ^ a b c Fleming Jr., Mike (August 7, 2024). "Apple Original Films Sets Sequel To George Clooney-Brad Pitt Drama Wolfs By Jon Watts As Film Pivots To Limited Theatrical Release Before Apple TV+ Streaming Bow". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 7, 2024. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
16. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (December 29, 2023). "George Clooney Q&A: The Boys In The Boat, Matthew Perry Memories, The $150M SAG-AFTRA Offer & Wolfs Sequel With Brad Pitt & Jon Watts". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
17. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 13, 2023). "Sony Wins Global Theatrical Distribution Deal For Apple's George Clooney & Brad Pitt Pic Wolfs & Scarlett Johansson & Channing Tatum's Project Artemis". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
18. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 21, 2023). "Sony Dates Apple's Wolfs & Project Artemis For 2024". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on December 28, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
19. ^ Shafer, Ellise; Ritman, Alex; Keslassy, Elsa (September 1, 2024). "George Clooney Says Biden Is 'Most Selfless' President Since George Washington for Dropping Out of Presidential Race Against Trump: 'All the Credit Goes to Him'". Variety. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
20. ^ Brzeski, Patrick; Ford, Lily (September 1, 2024). "Wolfs Director Jon Watts to Miss Venice World Premiere After Catching COVID". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
21. ^ "Wolfs". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
22. ^ "Wolfs". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved September 30, 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Wolfs at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Works by Jon Watts

Films directed|

* Clown (2014)
* Cop Car (2015)
* Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
* Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019)
* Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
* Wolfs (2024)

Written only|

* Final Destination: Bloodlines (2025)

Television series created|

* Star Wars: Skeleton Crew (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Apple TV+ original programming

Television

| Current|

* Acapulco (since 2021)
* Bad Sisters (since 2022)
* The Buccaneers (since 2023)
* Bad Monkey (since 2024)
* The Changeling (since 2023)
* The Completely Made-Up Adventures of Dick Turpin (since 2024)
* Criminal Record (since 2024)
* Curses! (since 2023)
* Dark Matter (since 2024)
* Dr. Brain (since 2021)
* Drops of God (since 2023)
* For All Mankind (since 2019)
* Foundation (since 2021)
* Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock (since 2022)
* Friday Night Baseball (since 2022)
* Hijack (since 2023)
* Interrupting Chicken (since 2022)
* Invasion (since 2021)
* Jane (since 2023)
* Land of Women (since 2024)
* The Last Thing He Told Me (since 2023)
* Liaison (since 2023)
* Loot (since 2022)
* The Morning Show (since 2019)
* Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (since 2023)
* Mythic Quest (since 2020)
* The New Look (since 2024)
* Pachinko (since 2022)
* Palm Royale (since 2024)
* Platonic (since 2023)
* Prehistoric Planet (since 2022)
* Presumed Innocent (since 2024)
* The Reluctant Traveler (since 2023)
* Severance (since 2022)
* Shape Island (since 2023)
* Shrinking (since 2023)
* Silo (since 2023)
* Slow Horses (since 2022)
* The Snoopy Show (since 2021)
* Sugar (since 2024)
* Surface (since 2022)
* Strange Planet (since 2023)
* Sunny (since 2024)
* Tehran (since 2020)
* Trying (since 2020)
* WondLa (since 2024)

|

Ended|

* The Afterparty (2022–23)
* Amazing Stories (2020)
* Amber Brown (2022)
* Becoming You (2020)
* The Big Cigar (2024)
* The Big Door Prize (2023–24)
* Black Bird (2022)
* Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker (2023)
* Calls (2021)
* Central Park (2020–22)
* City on Fire (2023)
* Constellation (2024)
* The Crowded Room (2023)
* Dear... (2020–23)
* Dear Edward (2023)
* Defending Jacob (2020)
* Dickinson (2019–21)
* Doug Unplugs (2020–22)
* Earth at Night in Color (2020–21)
* Echo 3 (2022–23)
* El Deafo (2022)
* The Essex Serpent (2022)
* Extrapolations (2023)
* Five Days at Memorial (2022)
* Franklin (2024)
* Ghostwriter (2019–22)
* Greatness Code (2020–22)
* Harriet the Spy (2021–23)
* Hello Tomorrow! (2023)
* Helpsters (2019–23)
* High Desert (2023)
* Home (2020–22)
* Home Before Dark (2020–21)
* Lady in the Lake (2024)
* The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey (2022)
* Lessons in Chemistry (2023)
* Lisey's Story (2021)
* Little America (2020–22)
* Little Voice (2020)
* Long Way Up (2020)
* Losing Alice (2021)
* Manhunt (2024)
* Masters of the Air (2024)
* Messi's World Cup: The Rise of a Legend (2024)
* The Me You Can't See (2021)
* The Mosquito Coast (2021–23)
* Mr. Corman (2021)
* My Kind of Country (2023)
* The Oprah Conversation (2020–21)
* Oprah's Book Club (2019–21)
* Physical (2021–23)
* Pinecone & Pony (2022–23)
* Pretzel and the Puppies (2022–23)
* The Problem with Jon Stewart (2021–23)
* Roar (2022)
* Schmigadoon! (2021–23)
* See (2019–22)
* Servant (2019–23)
* Shantaram (2022)
* Shining Girls (2022)
* The Shrink Next Door (2021)
* Slumberkins (2022)
* Snoopy in Space (2019–21)
* Still Up (2023)
* Stillwater (2020—23)
* Surfside Girls (2022)
* Suspicion (2022)
* Swagger (2021–23)
* Ted Lasso (2020–23)
* Time Bandits (2024)
* Tiny World (2020–21)
* Truth Be Told (2019–23)
* The Super Models (2023)
* Visible: Out on Television (2020)
* Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson (2021)
* WeCrashed (2022)
* Wolfboy and the Everything Factory (2021–22)

Continuations|

* Carpool Karaoke: The Series (season 5; 2022-2023)

Upcoming|

* Disclaimer (2024)
* Before (2024)
* Chief of War (TBA)
* Down Cemetery Road (TBA)
* Firebug (TBA)
* Government Cheese (TBA)
* The Last Frontier (TBA)
* Murderbot (TBA)
* Prime Target (TBA)
* Rambler & the Birdie Machine (TBA)
* The Savant (TBA)
* Sinking Spring (TBA)
* The Studio (TBA)
* Your Friends and Neighbors (TBA)
* Untitled Vince Gilligan TV series (TBA)

Films

| Released|

| 2019|

* The Elephant Queen
* Hala

|

2020|

* The Banker
* Beastie Boys Story
* Dads
* Greyhound
* Boys State
* Bruce Springsteen's Letter to You
* On the Rocks
* Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds
* Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special
* Wolfwalkers

2021|

* Palmer
* Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry
* Cherry
* The Year Earth Changed
* Fathom
* CODA
* 9/11: Inside the President's War Room
* Come from Away
* Blush
* The Velvet Underground
* Finch
* Swan Song

2022|

* The Tragedy of Macbeth
* The Sky Is Everywhere
* Cha Cha Real Smooth
* Luck
* Sidney
* The Greatest Beer Run Ever
* Raymond & Ray
* Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues
* Causeway
* Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me
* Spirited
* Emancipation
* The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse

2023|

* Fursat
* Sharper
* Tetris
* Ghosted
* Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
* The Beanie Bubble
* Stephen Curry: Underrated
* Flora and Son
* Killers of the Flower Moon
* The Pigeon Tunnel
* Fingernails
* Napoleon
* The Family Plan

2024|

* Argylle
* Girls State
* Bread & Roses
* Fancy Dance
* Fly Me to the Moon
* The Instigators
* Wolfs (2024)

Upcoming|

* Blitz (2024)
* F1 (2025)
* Echo Valley (TBA)
* Fountain of Youth (TBA)
* The Gorge (TBA)
* High and Low (TBA)
* The Lost Bus (TBA)
* Mayday (TBA)
* Outcome (TBA)
* Way of the Warrior Kid (TBA)

* Apple TV
* tvOS
* Apple TV app
* channels
* Apple Studios

* v
* t
* e

Plan B Entertainment

* Mediawan (owner)
* Jennifer Aniston (founder)
* Brad Grey (founder)
* Kristin Hahn (founder)
* Brad Pitt (founder)
* Dede Gardner (co-president)
* Jeremy Kleiner (co-president)

Films|

* Troy (2004)
* Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
* The Departed (2006)
* Running with Scissors (2006)
* Year of the Dog (2007)
* A Mighty Heart (2007)
* The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007)
* The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009)
* The Time Traveler's Wife (2009)
* Kick-Ass (2010)
* Eat Pray Love (2010)
* The Tree of Life (2011)
* Moneyball (2011)
* Killing Them Softly (2012)
* Kick-Ass 2 (2013)
* World War Z (2013)
* 12 Years a Slave (2013)
* Selma (2014)
* True Story (2015)
* The Big Short (2015)
* Moonlight (2016)
* The Lost City of Z (2016)
* Voyage of Time (2016)
* War Machine (2017)
* Okja (2017)
* Brad's Status (2017)
* Beautiful Boy (2018)
* If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
* Vice (2018)
* The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019)
* Ad Astra (2019)
* The King (2019)
* Irresistible (2020)
* Kajillionaire (2020)
* Minari (2020)
* Father of the Bride (2022)
* Blonde (2022)
* She Said (2022)
* Women Talking (2022)
* Landscape with Invisible Hand (2023)
* Bob Marley: One Love (2024)
* Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024)
* Nickel Boys (2024)
* Wolfs (2024)
* Mickey 17 (2025)
* F1 (2025)
* Hedda (2025)

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