Paramount Pictures chief executive Jim Gianopolous has offered an update on the status of World War Z 2, the sequel to the zombie horror film starring Brad Pitt which was a rather unfaithful adaptation of the popular novel by Max Brooks.
Production on the project has struggled to get underway since the film was left without a director after J.A. Bayona exited to the project to helm to the sequel to Jurassic World. Pitt himself began courting David Fincher to direct the film last summer but it wasn’t until April that Fincher was confirmed to be nearing a deal to direct the film.
The hold-up for Fincher signing was over budgetary reasons. Fincher is interested in telling a more human story for the sequel, focusing the film on a man and his family navigating the world during the zombie apocalypse for less than the $190 million dollar original but former Paramount chief Brad Grey wasn’t ready to scale things back for the blockbuster sequel.
But in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Gianopolous (who replaced Grey earlier this year) was asked about the status of the sequel which he revealed is now in “advanced development” and confirmed that Fincher will indeed be directing the film, reuniting the director with his Seven and Fight Club star, Pitt.
In addition to returning to star in the sequel, Pitt will also produce along with Plan B’s Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner as well as Skydance’s David Ellison. It is expected that the project will begin production as early as the first quarter of 2018.
World War Z 2 does not currently have a release date. Stay tuned to Heroic Hollywood for the latest news on World War Z 2 as we learn it.
Source: THR
