13 Years Later, A Modern Zombie Thriller Classic Could Finally Get A Sequel
Zombie movies are a veritable genre of their own. From Dawn of the Dead to Shaun of the Dead, tales of the undead emerging and wreaking havoc can be small-time indie flicks, huge blockbusters, cartoon adventures, or prestige TV. But there’s one standout in this film landscape: World War Z, the 2013 disaster epic starring Brad Pitt.
Since the movie’s release more than a dozen years ago, rumors of a sequel have been swirling, and multiple directors have been attached to the project. But now, it looks like things are finally moving — and Brad Pitt is coming back, along with a renowned filmmaker.
According to Variety, Brad Pitt will star in the upcoming World War Z 2, and Conclave’s Edward Berger will direct. The original World War Z, a (quite loose) adaptation of Max Brooks’ World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, was directed by Marc Forster, but the production was especially fraught, with reported disagreements between Pitt and Forster and a completely rewritten third act. For a while, it seemed like a sequel was impossible, but that changed when Paramount announced a sequel at Cinema Con earlier this year.
This is actually the third version of the sequel we’ve heard about. The first was from director J. A. Bayona and was even given a release date of June 9, 2017. Unfortunately, Bayona left the project in early 2016. Later that same year, Pitt reached out to his longtime collaborator David Fincher, and the two started developing another version of the sequel, but that was scrapped in 2019.
Now, David Fincher is busy directing The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, and Edward Berger is taking over. He’s no stranger to war movies: in 2022, he co-wrote and directed All Quiet on the Western Front, which took home Best International Feature at the Academy Awards.
World War Z was quite divisive, as it was almost completely unfaithful to the books. Now that another director is taking on the franchise, a director who, with Conclave, proved that he can faithfully adapt a novel. This sequel, whenever we get it, could actually provide the oral-history angle fans of the book were hoping for all those years ago.