World War Z is 10 years old: what’s next?
The biggest success of Brad Pitt’s career should have resulted in a new episode. David Fincher was also interested in directing it for a long time.
World War Z may well be the biggest success of brad pitt in the world (it is the only one to have crossed the 500 million dollars of receipts, if one excepts Deadpool 2in which he has a tiny cameo), his critical reception was mixed when he was released in June 2013. Paramount nevertheless wanted to continue the adventure, approaching several screenwriters and directors to continue this story of infected.
Yet throughout this decade, its sequel has been steadily delayed. We return in detail to the history of World War Z 2 below, as the original film celebrates its tenth anniversary.
We will never see the “real” end of World War Z
World War Z is fairly freely adapted from the eponymous novel by Max Brooks, which in 2006 recounted a global infection by telling it from various points of view: the narrator, employed by the UN, is responsible in the book for collecting testimonies around the world. The reader therefore discovers how the epidemic spread at high speed, having among other things the anecdotes of leading victims, scientists, astronauts attending the disaster from the ISS…
Adapted by Matthew Carnahan (State of Play), Drew Goddard (The cabin in the woods) And Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers), World War Z – the movie is quite different, more centered on the hero and his family, even if he too travels the world in search of explanations. And an antidote, above all. Carried out by Marc Forster (In the shadow of hate, Quantum of Solace, Jean-Christophe and Winnie…), this version had pleased First at its output. Here is our review.
Marc Forster: “We wanted the spectators of World War Z to cling to their armrests”
On paper, World War Z promised to be all the more enticing as Brad Pitt co-produced it via his company Plan B Entertainment, known for supporting audacious projects and authors (Andrew Dominik, Terrence Malick…). Let’s reassure everyone: this blockbuster fulfills its summer entertainment contract well.
The first part alone, which throws Brad and his family into the urban chaos, turns heads upside down. No one knows where this panic movement comes from, no one knows the origin of this evil which is turning into a pandemic. But we must act, and quickly. This post-apocalyptic climate and this effective start, accentuated by impeccable 3D, refer to Army of the Deadby Zack Snyder, where, already, contrary to what we saw in the classics of Lucio Fulci and George A. Romero, the zombies run after their prey to devour them.
In the sequel to World War Z, if a few demented sequences, such as the crash of a Boeing or the attack on a fortified zone in Jerusalem, inspire unease and dread, the whole impresses a little less. Blame it on a classic narration that plays on emotional suspense (the satellite phone connecting Brad to his family), recycles the codes of the genre and inevitably suffers
comparison with the series The Walking Dead, with more detailed characters and more complex issues. Is it serious though? No way. Like a guilty pleasure World War Z safely horrifies. We leave the room perfectly sated and happy.
Announced in the summer of 2013, World War Z 2 lost its initial director in early 2014. He was quickly replaced by Juan Antonio Bayona (The Impossible, A few minutes after midnight…), who finally abandoned the project to shoot Jurassic World 2. With its release date set for June 2017, the studio quickly found a replacement for it. It’s there that David Fincher’s name ran to stage it.
The idea of a reunion between the director and his star of Seven (1995)Fight Club (1999) and Benjamin Button (2008) intrigued the public, even if his enthusiasm for a sequel may have come as a surprise: Fincher often spoke of the fact that the filming ofAlien 3 had been a difficult experience for him. But he seemed ready to arrive once again on a franchise that he himself had not initiated.
The project was delayed, but it almost happened in the summer of 2019. Shooting dates had been announced, Fincher had spoken publicly about his enthusiasm for this project, then boom: in full preparation for season 2 of mindhunter for Netflix, World War Z 2 was once again postponed. Indefinitely.
On the side of the screenwriters too, there is movement. Dennis Kelly (BlackSeawith Jude Law) succeeded Steven Knight (Shadow Promises), who himself replaced the initial trio of authors.
On the other hand, Brad Pitt has always remained attached to the project. As his partner Mireille Enoswho had expressed his enthusiasm at the idea of returning to World War Z 2.
George Romero thinks Brad Pitt killed the zombie movies
World War Z 2 is it permanently abandoned? It would seem so. Fincher is currently working on another project carried by the star: a 4K reissue of Seventhe particularly dark thriller that marked their first collaboration.
World War Z: The honest trailer makes fun of Brad Pitt, zombies and Pepsi
