From Sinister Clowns to Swinging Superheroes: Jon Watts' Unexpected Cinematic Journey

The visionary director behind Tom Holland's Spider-Man trilogy is looking back at his humble, blood-soaked beginnings with a horror film getting a 4K re-release and forward to a "weird" new chapter for Peter Parker.

TL;DR: The Essentials

• Jon Watts, known for directing the MCU Spider-Man films, started his career with the dark horror movie Clown, which is now receiving a special 4K Blu-ray re-release from Germany's Turbine Medien on November 13.
• Watts and co-writer Christopher Ford have a detailed plan for a Clown franchise, envisioning up to seven films to explore the cursed suit's "evergreen premise."
• He describes watching the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day (due July 31, 2026), which he did not direct, as a "genuinely weird" and "interesting feeling," marking a significant "passing of the torch."

The Unexpected Trajectory of a Blockbuster Director

Imagine, for a moment, the filmmaker who gave us the heartwarming, often hilarious adventures of Tom Holland's Spider-Man. Picture the creative mind behind the youthful charm of Disney+'s Star Wars series Skeleton Crew. Now, picture that same person crafting a disturbing tale of a father who slowly, gruesomely transforms into a flesh-eating demon clown. It sounds like two different directors, doesn't it?

Yet, these seemingly disparate visions belong to one Jon Watts. He's made a name for himself with uplifting action-comedies and epic space operas, but as Watts himself put it to Variety, "I was definitely not aspiring to make uplifting action comedies." Source: [Variety, 'Spider-Man' Director Jon Watts on the Surprise Rerelease of His Debut 'Clown' and Why It'll Be 'Genuinely Weird' to Watch Tom Holland in 'Brand New Day', Nov 12, 2025]. His true feature debut was far from the friendly neighborhood hero; it was the 2014 body horror film, Clown.

A Fake Trailer That Spiraled into Real Horror Cinema

The origin story of Clown is as wild as its premise. Back in 2010, Watts and his writing partner Christopher Ford, along with friends from NYU, ran a YouTube page where they'd post "dumb little shorts and videos" purely for fun, long before YouTube monetization was a thing. Around Halloween, after a Comedy Central show they were working on fell through, they decided to pull a prank: make a fake trailer for the most horrible, disturbing movie they could imagine, titled Clown.

To really sell the gag, Watts, in a moment of inspired audacity, slapped "from master of horror Eli Roth" onto the fictitious trailer. The irony? Roth had absolutely no involvement at that point. The video went viral, racking up thousands of views and comments. The next thing Watts knew, his phone was ringing. "Please don't sue me, sir," he recalled telling Roth. But Roth wasn't calling with legal threats; he was calling with an offer: "Do you have an idea for a feature?" Watts, quick on his feet, lied and said, "Yes, absolutely. We have the whole thing worked out." Source: [Variety, 'Spider-Man' Director Jon Watts on the Surprise Rerelease of His Debut 'Clown' and Why It'll Be 'Genuinely Weird' to Watch Tom Holland in 'Brand New Day', Nov 12, 2025].

“I still see a lot of potential in the premise, so when I watch it now, I’m like, ‘Oh, we could have done so much more there.’ I’d love for it to be like Evil Dead 2. I’d love to tell the same story, but jump off to even crazier places.”

— Jon Watts on his film Clown, speaking to Variety

Unveiling the Ancient Nordic Lore Behind the Cursed Suit

From that initial desperate lie, Watts and Ford scrambled, turning their Halloween prank into a fully fleshed-out horror concept. Eli Roth, impressed by their pitch, officially joined as a producer, securing financing and even pre-selling domestic distribution rights to Dimension Films. The story they developed introduced a chilling lore: the clown suit wasn't just old; it was made of the flesh of an ancient Nordic demon known as the Cløyne. This entity attaches itself to a host through the suit and, to survive, feeds on children – one for every month of winter.

The film featured Andy Powers as the unfortunate father, Laura Allen as his terrified wife, Peter Stormare as the suit's previous owner, and a cameo from Eli Roth himself as the Cløyne. This intricate backstory elevated what could have been a simple slasher into a psychological body horror film, exploring the gruesome transformation and loss of self.

A Cult Following Emerges from a Botched Release

Clown debuted in 2014, and while it garnered a respectable $4.3 million overseas, its domestic release was, frankly, a mess. Dimension Films shelved it in the U.S. until 2016, giving it a severely limited release that grossed a mere $55,000. By then, Watts was already moving on to his critically acclaimed sophomore feature, Cop Car, which caught the attention of Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige and launched Watts into the superhero stratosphere.

Despite its rocky start, Clown found its audience, quietly building a cult following among horror fans. The contrast between its initial commercial struggles in the US and its eventual appreciation highlights how quality genre films can endure. Now, over a decade later, German distributor Turbine Medien is giving the film new life with a remastered 4K Blu-ray release on November 13. Source: [Variety, 'Spider-Man' Director Jon Watts on the Surprise Rerelease of His Debut 'Clown' and Why It'll Be 'Genuinely Weird' to Watch Tom Holland in 'Brand New Day', Nov 12, 2025]. Watts expressed his surprise and honor, noting that the original release was "a low point," and this re-release is "a really nice feeling."

The Enduring Allure of Scary Clowns and Franchise Ambitions

Watts clearly still has a soft spot for his horrifying debut. He revealed that he and Christopher Ford have a sequel mapped out, with ambitions for a full-blown "seven of them, make it a real long-term franchise like the Leprechaun or something like that." He's interested in telling the same story but taking it "to even crazier places," much like Evil Dead 2 did for its franchise. The premise, Watts notes, is "evergreen," as "anyone can put on the suit."

This desire for a Clown franchise speaks to Watts' attraction to unique, impactful ideas, regardless of budget or genre. While he later produced Final Destination Bloodlines in 2025, he explicitly stated his preference for producing over directing a film in that franchise due to the immense workload of intricately designed kill sequences. For him, the creative process, from storyboarding every shot to producing animatics, is key, a method he honed on Clown and applied to his massive MCU and Star Wars projects.

Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Passing the Spider-Man Torch

Watts' career has taken him from small-scale, disturbing horror to directing three of the most successful superhero films in history: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). These films collectively took up over half a decade of his life, defining Tom Holland's Peter Parker for a generation of fans. After No Way Home ended with a poignant reset for Peter, Watts made the decision to step away from directing the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day, initially slated to direct The Fantastic Four: First Steps before Matt Shakman took over.

The directorial reins for Spider-Man: Brand New Day have been handed to Destin Daniel Cretton, known for his work on Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings. When asked about his involvement, Watts shared that he "talked a little bit at the very, very beginning, but I’m very close to that franchise, so I just had to step back and let everyone do their job." Source: [CBR.com, 'Spider-Man' Director Jon Watts on the Surprise Rerelease of His Debut 'Clown' and Why It'll Be 'Genuinely Weird' to Watch Tom Holland in 'Brand New Day', Nov 12, 2025].

A Glimpse into the Fan Experience for a Franchise Creator

For Watts, watching the new Spider-Man film will be an entirely new, potentially disorienting experience. "It’s going to be genuinely weird for me going to see that movie for the first time," he admitted. "It’s going to be a really interesting feeling. It’s a passing of the torch and I’m curious to see where it goes." Source: [CinemaBlend.com, 'Spider-Man' Director Jon Watts On How He Expects To Feel Watching Brand New Day For The First Time, Nov 12, 2025]. Imagine building a complex world, guiding beloved characters through epic arcs, and then suddenly becoming just another audience member, experiencing the story fresh. It's a unique tradeoff of creative control for pure, unadulterated anticipation.

For example, picture a passionate video game developer who spends years creating an immersive open-world title, crafting every quest and character backstory. After shipping the game, they hand off the sequel to a new team. When the next installment comes out, they can finally play it not as a creator, but purely as a fan, discovering surprises and plot twists they didn't design. This is a bit like the journey Watts is about to embark on with Brand New Day.

While specific plot details for Spider-Man: Brand New Day remain under wraps, we do know Tom Holland returns as Peter Parker, alongside Zendaya as MJ and Jacob Batalon as Ned Leeds. The film is also slated to bring in exciting new and returning characters, including Jon Bernthal as the Punisher, Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Michael Mando as Scorpion, and Marvin Jones III as Tombstone. Sadie Sink, Liza Colón-Zayas, and Trammel Tillman have also been cast in undisclosed roles. The film is currently scheduled to hit theaters on July 31, 2026.

Jon Watts' Enduring Creative Philosophy: Beyond Genre Limitations

Watts' career clearly demonstrates his genre-agnostic approach. While he expressed some guilt about contributing to the fear of clowns, acknowledging that many clowns genuinely aim to bring joy, he recognizes the unique, visceral horror they evoke post-John Wayne Gacy. He appreciates the unsettling nature of the mask, the unknown person underneath, and how horror often "takes the familiar and reveals something scary." Just as Steven Spielberg made beaches terrifying with Jaws, Watts made clown suits the stuff of nightmares with Clown.

Despite his diverse filmography, Watts emphasized his attraction to "big, original ideas" as his "North Star." He believes that even within existing franchises, it's possible to "find a way to make it your own and to make it feel original." This philosophy has allowed him to transition seamlessly from low-budget indie horror to managing colossal superhero narratives and Star Wars lore.

Practical Takeaways for Fellow Film Enthusiasts

• Embrace Unconventional Beginnings: Jon Watts' journey from a viral fake trailer to an MCU director proves that talent can emerge from unexpected places. Don't underestimate indie projects.
• The Power of a Strong Premise: Clown's "evergreen premise" of a cursed suit feeding on children showcases how a compelling core idea can lead to franchise potential, regardless of initial box office performance.
• Creative Evolution is Key: Watts' ability to adapt his meticulous pre-production process, developed on a low-budget horror, to massive blockbusters highlights the universal value of strong foundational filmmaking skills.
• Acknowledge the Passing of the Torch: For long-running franchises like Spider-Man, directorial changes are inevitable. Watts' "weird" but accepting sentiment offers a healthy perspective on creative transitions.

FAQ: All You Need to Know About Jon Watts' Recent Projects

When is Clown getting its 4K Blu-ray re-release? Germany's Turbine Medien is releasing a remastered 4K Blu-ray of Clown on November 13. Who is directing the new Spider-Man: Brand New Day movie? Destin Daniel Cretton, known for directing Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, is helming Spider-Man: Brand New Day. What did Jon Watts say about watching the new Spider-Man film? Watts described the experience of watching Spider-Man: Brand New Day for the first time as "genuinely weird" and "an interesting feeling," noting it's a "passing of the torch." What other projects has Jon Watts been involved with recently? Watts directed the 2024 Apple TV feature Wolfs starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney, created the Disney+ Star Wars series Skeleton Crew, and produced Final Destination Bloodlines (2025).

Sources

• Variety, 'Spider-Man' Director Jon Watts on the Surprise Rerelease of His Debut 'Clown' and Why It'll Be 'Genuinely Weird' to Watch Tom Holland in 'Brand New Day', Nov 12, 2025
• CBR.com, 'Spider-Man' Director Jon Watts on the Surprise Rerelease of His Debut 'Clown' and Why It'll Be 'Genuinely Weird' to Watch Tom Holland in 'Brand New Day', Nov 12, 2025
• CinemaBlend.com, 'Spider-Man' Director Jon Watts On How He Expects To Feel Watching Brand New Day For The First Time, Nov 12, 2025