Brad Pitt Returns for 'World War Z' Sequel With Edward Berger Directing
Written by Samantha Ward
Courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
More than a decade after 'World War Z' became a global box office hit, Brad Pitt is officially heading back into the zombie apocalypse.
Paramount Pictures is moving forward with a long-awaited sequel to the 2013 blockbuster, with Pitt set to reprise his role as Gerry Lane and produce through Plan B Entertainment. Edward Berger, the filmmaker behind 'All Quiet on the Western Front' and 'Conclave', has signed on to direct, while 'Utopia' and 'Matilda the Musical' writer Dennis Kelly will handle the screenplay. Plot details are currently being kept under wraps.
The project will also reunite Pitt and Berger following their collaboration on A24’s upcoming 'The Riders', which was filmed earlier this year. Pitt will produce alongside longtime Plan B partners Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, while Berger will serve as an executive producer.
A sequel to 'World War Z' has been discussed for years, with several major filmmakers attached at different stages of development. J.A. Bayona was previously lined up to direct before David Fincher became involved in another iteration of the project. Fincher’s version ultimately failed to move forward, leaving the franchise dormant despite continued interest in bringing Pitt back.
Directed by Marc Forster and loosely based on Max Brooks’ bestselling 2006 novel 'World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War', the original movie followed Gerry Lane, a former United Nations employee travelling across the globe as humanity desperately searched for a way to survive a rapidly spreading zombie outbreak.
Despite a famously difficult production, 'World War Z' became a major commercial success when it arrived in 2013, earning more than $540 million worldwide and becoming one of the biggest zombie films ever released.
For now, Paramount has not announced a production start date, additional cast members or an official release date. After more than 13 years of false starts, however, Pitt’s return alongside Berger represents the most significant step yet toward finally getting 'World War Z 2' onto the big screen.
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