‘World War Z’ Sequel Possibly Left for Dead at Paramount as Pre-Production is Halted
Paramount’s 2013 World War Z film was met with a long history of production problems that ultimately resulted in a moderately-successful movie, with plans for a sequel being set up. However, it’s looking a lot like World War Z 2 may be hit with the same kind of production problems, presuming that the film is even made at this point.
The Playlist has just released a story explaining that the “Brad Pitt blows up a bunch of zombies in a movie loosely based on a novel written by the son of Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft” sequel has stalled development on the sequel due to concerns over its budget. While the original movie went ridiculously overbudget with reshoots inflating it to $190M or more, and director David Fincher proposed a leaner budget for the sequel, this smaller figure still left Paramount in a position that they didn’t want to be in, and the project is not moving forward. The cast and crew were tentatively preparing for a shoot this year across five countries and a six-month plan to film in Atlanta, Georgia throughout production, but the film was ultimately never given a true greenlight.
Brad Pitt is said to be displeased with Paramount’s decision to part ways with Fincher, who he wanted for the job after J. A. Bayona left the project to direct Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. However, all is not necessarily lost. Collider adds that, since the budget was the point of contention on the film, the sequel could be developed under a different director and an even leaner budget than Fincher proposed – although this could only happen if Pitt stays on as the star of the film. For the time being, Paramount has taken the film off of their release schedule altogether, along with a planned reboot of Friday the 13th.
On a completely separate note, while World War Z 2 might be dead for the time being, a rumor suggests that a different adult-skewing franchise is going to get a sequel instead: Mad Max. Fingers crossed!
So WORLD WAR Z 2 is officially dead and not happening… BUT… I'm hearing whispers of another sequel that's beginning to rev its engines… pic.twitter.com/eFyRkC2kh0
— Erik Davis (@ErikDavis) February 6, 2019
World War Z is available to watch on Blu-Ray, DVD, Digital, On-Demand, and Streaming formats.
Grant Davis is a freelance writer who has covered entertainment news for more than seven years. His articles have frequently appeared in Star Wars News Net as well as as other entertainment-related websites. As someone who grew up on Star Wars and comic book movies, he’s completely thrilled with the current era of genre entertainment.
