'Let's make a new Groundhog Day...' Jon Watts calls for Hollywood to stop "ripping" off original films
Jon Watts thinks Hollywood should stop recreating old movies and make new ones to keep creativity alive.
Jon Watts calls for Hollywood filmmakers to create new movies instead of “ripping” off successful films.
The 44-year-old director admitted he is frustrated at a lack of creativity and original ideas in Hollywood and believes "medium scale" films should stop looking at the stories which have been successful in the past and presenting them in a different way.
Asked what he would change about how Hollywood makes movies and TV shows, Watts told Collider.com: "I wish there were more original movies in theatres. Original movies in, like, a medium scale.
"We’ve built this system where you have these giant tentpole movies that are so expensive that people feel like they have to be based on something that you already recognise. They can't be too risky.
"I think that's created a hole in the middle of interesting, new movies. Like, we're still ripping off Groundhog Day. Let's make a new Groundhog Day.
"Let's make new medium-sized ideas that get everyone excited about going to the movies again."
Even though the Spider-Man: No Way Home director agrees that film studios have to rely on previous successes to "make enough money", he thinks there is always space for fresh ideas.
He said "You do have the big things that you rely on to make sure that you make enough money, but at some point, you're going to run out of things to remake, and then you're just regurgitating the same stuff over and over again."
Watts is also concerned that films have to "do great immediately" on release instead of being able to slowly build box office success.
Asked about Pixar's Elio, which was branded a flop after taking just under $21 million at the US box office in its opening weekend, he said: "I haven't seen it. It looks really good. Maybe it will just take some time.
"That's the other thing that I think is stressful in Hollywood right now is things have to do great immediately. They're not given the space to live in theatres and grow and build an audience over time. Used to, movies would start lower and then slowly accumulate over time.
"Now, if it isn't a huge hit immediately, people will start talking about how it's a huge flop, and that's not necessarily true."
With more people beginning to use artificial intelligence (AI) to assist in creative work, it is not something Watts will do because he loves working with "human beings".
Asked if he has concerns about the growth of AI over the next 10 years, Watts said: "I don't want to wade into it too deeply, but I think the first thing that people should think about when it comes to AI is that they should stop calling everything AI.
"There are so many facets to this conversation. It feels like back when people would talk about 'the internet,' and they were like, 'How is the internet going to change everything? How is the World Wide Web going to affect politics?'
"AI is a very complex thing that can be used in very different ways. I think the first thing everyone should do is be a lot more educated when they talk about it, so it doesn't get oversimplified.
"Personally, I don't mess around with it. I like the human beings that I work with, and I’m not interested in replacing any of them. I look forward to working with human beings. So, right now, I'm personally learning about it, but I’m staying away from using it."
