It’s been a minute since Wolfs dropped, but the George Clooney and Brad Pitt comedy still holds up, not just on screen. Behind the scenes, the film came with a prank so slick, it could’ve been part of the script. Director Jon Watts sat down early in development expecting a full-on pitch session. Instead, he walked straight into a setup. Clooney had already signed on. Pitt was locked too. But Clooney decided to mess with Watts for fun, and Pitt played along perfectly.
How Did George Clooney & Brad Pitt Prank Jon Watts?
In an interview with Variety, Jon Watts recalled meeting with Clooney and Pitt to discuss the project while still locking in the cast. Clooney was already committed but decided to have a little fun before things got official. He gave Watts a “warning.”
Advertisement
“Listen, I think this is really good. I think Brad’s going to be into it. But he’s very particular… You’ve got to really be prepared, because Brad will just say no. He doesn’t care. He’s not doing a movie just because I’m doing it,” George Clooney reportedly said. Watts took the bait. He spent the night fine-tuning every bit of his pitch.
But when he sat down with F1 star the next day, the actor shut it down immediately, with a smile. “Two fixers. Same job. I get it, man. George told me the whole thing. It’ll be fun. Let’s do it.” Watts later laughed, “They were just f—ing with me.”
And really, that harmless prank captured the spirit of Wolfs perfectly—cool, clever, and built on banter. Not a heavy thriller, but a slick comedy driven by two fixers, both fictional and very real.
Jon Watts Took A Swing With Age Jokes & The Stars Took It Well
Watts didn’t hold back in the script either. He threw in jokes about George Clooney and Brad Pitt’s age, hoping they wouldn’t shut it down. “There’s a couple of jokes about their age… You put it in the script and you cross your fingers and you hope that they don’t get mad,” he said. But they were game. Self-aware, self-deprecating, and clearly having fun.
That same energy rolled into the press tour. When asked how long it had been since either did their own stunts, Brad Pitt joked, “Not since 1994.” George Clooney jumped in, “We’re not stupid.” It wasn’t just for the cameras. It was the heart of the movie.
When Wolfs premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 2024, it made waves. Critics praised the film’s breezy pace, tight script, and the seamless dynamic between its leads. Later, when it dropped on Apple TV+, it also became the platform’s most-watched title.
