Jon Watts doesn't think the MCU is the ideal place to exercise his creative vision and style.
MCU Spider-Man and the JON WATTS problem
Jon Watts only had two indie films to his name before directing the major Spider-Man films for the MCU. He provided one of the most significant post-Endgame MCU releases with Spider-Man: No Way Home. The Tom Holland film grossed nearly $2 billion worldwide. However, despite such success, the director refused to direct Spider-Man 4 due to a major creative reason.
After the success of No Way Home, Jon Watts was eyed to direct Spider-Man 4 as well as The Fantastic Four. But soon the director announced that he was leaving both projects, stating that he wanted to do something on his own, outside of Marvel. As a result, Watts went on to make the movie Wolfs for Apple TV+.
For years, several directors have made it clear that there is a set of strict rules to follow in order to lead an MCU project. Often directors complain that they don't get much creative freedom when working for a cinematic universe. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Jon Watts claimed that making Wolfs with George Clooney and Brad Pitt was a welcome change for him.
