For years, it looked like World War Z 2 was destined to remain one of those movies that Hollywood talked about forever but never actually made. The sequel went through multiple directors, spent years in development, and came close to production with David Fincher at the helm before Paramount pulled the plug. Now, World War Z 2 is finally moving forward again. Deadline reports that Paramount has closed a deal with Brad Pitt to return as the star, while Edward Berger has signed on to direct the long-awaited sequel. Dennis Kelly, creator of the British series Utopia and writer of The Day of the Lord, is writing the screenplay.
Pitt, Dede Gardner, and Jeremy Kleiner will produce for Plan B Entertainment, while Berger will executive produce. Plot details are being kept under wraps for now.
Brad Pitt is returning for World War Z 2
Pitt starred as former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane in the first World War Z, which was released in 2013. The film was directed by Marc Forster and inspired by Max Brooks’ 2006 novel World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. The movie wasn’t a particularly faithful adaptation of Brooks’ book, but it was a major box office success, earning more than $540 million worldwide. That made a sequel an obvious possibility, and Paramount spent years trying to figure out what that sequel would be.
Pitt has apparently remained interested in returning to the world of World War Z throughout all of that time. According to Deadline, he began pitching his The Riders director Edward Berger on World War Z 2 while they were working together on that film. By the end of production, Berger was on board, and Paramount subsequently closed deals with both of them. That means the sequel that spent years stuck in development hell has finally found a path forward.
Edward Berger is directing World War Z 2
Berger is taking over a project that has already had a surprisingly complicated history. The filmmaker is best known for directing All Quiet on the Western Front, which won four Academy Awards, including Best International Feature. His other credits include the television series Patrick Melrose, The Terror, and the 2024 thriller Conclave.
The Riders is coming our way from A24 and Scott Free.
What happened to David Fincher’s World War Z 2?
This isn’t the first time World War Z 2 has gotten this close to happening. Before Fincher became attached, J.A. Bayona was set to direct the sequel. Bayona worked on the project for roughly a year before leaving, with reports at the time indicating that the filmmakers had struggled to settle on the story even though Bayona had some major set pieces in mind. He went on to direct Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom instead.
Fincher eventually came aboard, and for a while it looked like World War Z 2 was finally going to become a reality. That version of the movie even had enthusiastic support from members of the original cast. Mireille Enos, who played Karin Lane in the first film, was set to return and later described the project as having a “beautiful script.” But Paramount ultimately scrapped the Fincher version over budget concerns, just months before filming was expected to begin.
Fincher later revealed that he was actually glad the movie wasn’t made. He explained that his version had similarities to HBO’s The Last of Us, particularly in its approach to the zombie apocalypse and the use of a parasitic organism in the opening material. Fincher said he believed The Last of Us had more room to explore those ideas because it was a television series rather than a feature film.
Brad Pitt, meanwhile, remained interested in getting another World War Z movie made.
Why World War Z 2 is finally moving again
The sequel’s revival appears to have been helped by a renewed push from Paramount. Deadline reports that Paramount Pictures co-chairs Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg identified World War Z 2 as a high-priority project. Skydance, which played a major role in getting the first movie made, is also involved in the renewed effort, with Skydance founder David Ellison sharing Pitt’s interest in moving forward with the sequel.
The first World War Z ended with Gerry discovering that people who are given a specific vaccination will be ignored by the zombies, giving humanity a potential way to survive the outbreak. Whether the new movie picks up from that ending remains unknown.
What we do know is that World War Z 2 is no longer just another abandoned sequel. After years of false starts, the movie has Brad Pitt back, Edward Berger behind the camera, and a new screenplay from Dennis Kelly. And while we never got to see David Fincher’s version of the movie, the sequel he couldn’t make is finally getting another chance.
Do you wish David Fincher had been able to make World War Z 2, or are you interested in seeing what Edward Berger does with the franchise? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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