Is World War Z 2 still on the horizon?: The uncertainty of Brad Pitt's zombie thriller sequel

The 2013 release of World War Z brought Brad Pitt into the foray of zombie action thrillers, raising the question: Will the movie's success spawn a sequel, World War Z 2?

Despite not quite breaking into the top ten of 2013's highest-grossing movies, World War Z, directed by Marc Foster and penned by Matthew Michael Carnahan, Drew Goddard, and Damon Lindelof, gave a cinematic voice to the eponymous novel.

Operating on a staggering budget, possibly reaching $269 million, the horror-thriller largely received favorable reviews, lauded for Brad Pitt's performance and its incorporation of zombie lore. However, it faced criticism for outdated CGI effects and a significant deviation from the source material.

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Is Brad Pitt's World War Z 2 a reality or just a dream?

An iconic scene from World War Z, raising questions about the potential for a second installment (Image via Paramount Pictures)

Pondering the actual probability of World War Z 2, several key facts merit discussion. As reported by the Los Angeles Times in January 2012, Paramount Pictures saw the potential for World War Z to unfold as a trilogy, combining the realist touch of Matt Damon's Jason Bourne series with the ominous apocalyptic atmosphere of The Walking Dead:

"For Pitt, the big sci-fi thriller also represents his strongest bid to have a big film franchise of his own, which might be viewed as the missing piece of his career jigsaw puzzle.

The report continued:

"Forster and Paramount Pictures each view World War Z as a trilogy that would have the grounded, gun-metal realism of, say, Damon's Jason Bourne series tethered to the unsettling end-times vibe of AMC's The Walking Dead."

Operating on the aforementioned extravagant budget, World War Z turned quite the profit, raking in over $540 million worldwide, lending credence to the notion of a sequel.

World War Z 2 received its official approval in 2016. However, Deadline reported that director Juan Antonio Bayona left the project early into its development phase, leading to a scramble for his replacement.

Paramount had already commissioned a script by Steven Knight and Dennis Kelly. Still, Bayona's exit was reportedly tied to the studio's desire for a quicker production turnaround than he could accommodate.

In a surprising twist, David Fincher was recruited to fill Bayona's shoes in April 2017. Later that year, Fincher hinted at significant groundwork being laid for the sequel's production and ongoing attempts to align it with the existing World War Z mythology. However, The Playlist reported that despite these efforts, Paramount Pictures put the brakes on World War Z 2, even with Fincher at the helm.

In May 2019, The Hollywood Reporter suggested that China's prohibition on zombie films was the prime obstacle preventing Paramount from giving World War Z 2 the go-ahead, even as other zombie-centric movies progressed without Chinese box office contributions.

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Will Brad Pitt reprise his role in a potential World War Z sequel?

A still from World War Z: Will Brad Pitt return to face the undead in the anticipated sequel? (Image via Paramount Pictures)

Several original World War Z cast members have shared their insights on the likelihood of World War Z 2 coming to fruition. Brad Pitt, in a conversation with Collider in September 2019, praised the sequel's script, emphasizing its robust narrative and the introduction of novel elements:

"Ooh…it was good. It was really good. We had a really strong story, which [Fincher] shepherded. The things he had planned for it just haven't been seen before."

Mireille Enos, who portrayed Brad Pitt's wife in the first film, shared her disappointment with Variety about the project's abrupt halt:

"We were all lined up to go. We had Fincher, we had a beautiful script, and then it just didn't happen."

From the current standpoint, World War Z 2 seems to be in a holding pattern, if not entirely discarded. However, in the ever-unpredictable world of filmmaking, circumstances could pivot at any moment.