Believe it or not, Ocean’s Eleven co-stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt haven’t been in a film together since 2008’s Burn After Reading. Yet their pairing is still so legendary that when they were announced to be reuniting on screen in the 2024 movie Wolfs, it made news almost instantly.
So one had to wonder what was it about the movie that brought them back together? Besides, of course, George and Brad’s “forever” friendship? Well, it looks like danger, punchlines, and Sinatra are all a part of it. And after seeing Apple and Sony’s first trailer for Wolfs, I can’t blame them for wanting to getting the band back together.
In fact, this looks like a darkly comic crime thriller that has me happy to see Pitt and Clooney’s shenanigans back on the big screen. With both men playing competing fixers sent to tackle the same job, the banter and the chemistry are already strong. And throwing in a little bit of Sinatra amidst the well-dressed, well-executed action is only more of a reason to have some pleasing flashbacks to the Ocean’s Trilogy.
Back in 2021, that logline for writer/director Jon Watts’ first post-Spider-Man film was simple but exciting. It also probably had George Clooney fans thinking of something along the lines of Michael Clayton, while Brad Pitt loyalists may have had Killing Them Softly in mind.
The fact that Wolfs can automatically conjure the idea of both of those movies, yet provide something so uniquely fun, is pretty fulfilling. And the visuals on this night from hell are pretty fascinating as well. I honestly don’t know which moment from the trailer will get more talk: that simultaneous gun pull on the dance floor between George and Brad, or poor Austin Abrams somehow accidentally pulling off a superhero landing…in nothing but tighty whities?
However, what we see in this trailer isn’t even the beginning of how much these former Oceans crew mates believed in Wolfs. Originally produced by Apple Original Films as a streaming exclusive, Pitt and Clooney “gave money back” to make sure that their big screen reunion went theatrical.
It also helps that this Apple Original’s distribution home at Sony is a launchpad that’s experienced in this sort of release. That comes thanks to the studio partners previously releasing Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, and also having Fly Me To The Moon, formerly known as Project Artemis, on its books for theaters this summer.
Wolfs howls at the silver screen, only in theaters, starting September 20th. While Apple TV+ subscription holders will eventually be able to stream that feature, it’s unknown when that window will arrive. But if you’re like me, you’re probably not in a rush, as this definitely looks like a movie worth planning a night out around; if only to revel in the return of the Clooney/Pitt charm machine.
