When Marc Forster’s loose adaptation of Max Brooks’ World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War came out in 2013, simply titled World War Z, it was a huge success. While the film was met with some harsh criticisms, especially from those who had read the book and found the film’s simpler and much more generic take on a global zombie outbreak disappointing, it was viewed as an unabashed success. The Brad Pitt-starring film had managed to take a well-worn concept and turn it into a blend of action blockbuster and horror film that pleased general audiences and even ended with a clear setup for future installments.
At the time of release, there was tons of talk about potential sequels and the ways in which Forster’s film could ultimately serve as a launching pad for a whole new franchise. However, those discussions ultimately came and went with little actual forward movement. For thirteen years, fans have waited to hear official word on whether or not there would be a sequel, and now, it’s finally happened. A new announcement confirms that a sequel to World War Z is happening with Pitt back in the lead and acclaimed director Edward Berger taking the reins this time.
This is interesting for many reasons. For one, Pitt as an actor has avoided making sequels to previous projects, instead often favoring making new original movies. For decades, the one real notable exception to this was Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s movies, which saw Pitt returning multiple times alongside fellow stars like George Clooney and Matt Damon to round out a trilogy. But now, in these IP-driven times, Pitt seems to be more than keen to re-evaluate that approach, given that he has the David Fincher-helmed The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth coming out later this year (a sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood…) and is now prioritizing this World War Z sequel.
Another point of interest in this news is the fact that behind the scenes, Pitt had been working for years to try and make a sequel to World War Z happen. Multiple directors have been involved in developing potential sequels over the years, including the aforementioned David Fincher, at one point. However, all of those efforts fell by the wayside for one reason or another, resulting in the circumstances that have aligned for Berger and Pitt to now collaborate on the sequel for real, thirteen years after the release of the first film.
Berger has made films such as All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave, distinctly more grounded fare than World War Z. So if anything, this directorial pick lends credence to the idea that Pitt is interested in doing something more grounded in practical effects, rather than simply rehashing the same CGI tactics of the first film.
Infamously, that film ballooned to a scale that was even detrimental to itself, as Drew Goddard was brought into rewriting the entire third act (which had previously been a big CG-heavy battle sequence) into a much more character-focused and intimate horror sequence after the test screening went very poorly. This was the right call then (the third act is the best thing about the movie by about a mile), and it is the right call now. Pitt and co. seem keenly aware that those same tactics will not fly in the modern movie landscape, and bringing Berger onboard feels like a deliberate testament to that.
Having the sequel set over a decade after the first film opens up tons of interesting possibilities for the film and even has the potential to allow Berger and co. to reincorporate elements from Brooks’ novel that went unused initially. Here’s hoping World War Z 2 can be something truly special when it finally hits theaters.
Add us as a preferred source on Google