Mireille Enos: David Fincher’s scrapped World War Z 2 had a beautiful script

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Paramount Pictures pulled off an incredible feat when they got David Fincher to sign on to direct a sequel to their 2014 hit WORLD WAR Z (watch it HERE). Then they took away our chance to see a Fincher-directed zombie movie when they scrapped the project, just four months before filming was scheduled to begin, over budgetary concerns.

WORLD WAR Z 2 had spent nearly six years in development hell by the time Paramount made that decision, and another year has passed since. Still, the producers are hopeful that they sequel will be made "someday", and so is WORLD WAR Z cast member Mireille Enos, who was going to reprise her role in the Fincher film.

Speaking with Variety, Enos said the sequel

seems to have a little curse hanging over it. We were all lined up to go. We had Fincher, we had a beautiful script and then it just didn’t happen. It seems like such a shame for it not to be made. The first one was so good."

Inspired by a 2006 novel by Max Brooks (you can pick up a copy HERE), the first WORLD WAR Z was directed by Marc Forster from a screenplay by Matthew Michael Carnahan, Drew Goddard, Damon Lindelof, and J. Michael Straczynski. The film followed 

former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), who traverses the world in a race against time to stop a pandemic that is toppling armies and governments and threatening to decimate humanity itself.

Like the first movie, Fincher's sequel was going to be a globe-trotting adventure, with filming to take place in five different countries. Before Fincher got involved, J.A. Bayona had been attached to direct. Bayona dropped out of the project and made JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM instead.