After being lost to development hell for so long, will World War Z 2 ever actually happen? World War Z 2 has mirrored the original in that it could rise from development hell – with Brad Pitt producing and starring again. As of now, the sequel to the blockbuster zombie movie adapted from Max Brooks' bestselling novel doesn't yet have a release date. The novel works as a near-journalistic anthology covering different elements of a zombie outbreak, so there are plenty of more stories to tell within the World War Z universe.
The first movie was a success, raking in a cool $540.5 million at the box office. World War Z needed drastic reshoots of the third act and several rewrites, plus it ran over its budget, costing around $200 million. Even so, the film's development woes led to quite the resurrection, so for its sequel to have spent so long languishing on the slate shouldn't dishearten those who love the first movie. With Pitt as a driving force both in the pitch meetings and in front of the camera, momentum may pick up again soon.
Related: How World War Z Originally Ended (& Why It Was Changed)
There's something beautifully ironic in a zombie movie that refuses to die, so it'd be fantastic to see World War Z 2 re-emerge on Paramount's radar. There has certainly been enough interest in the sequel to warrant its development. It's just whether everything can align to make World War Z 2 possible. Here are the latest updates on Brad Pitt's role, why it's taking so long, and a World War Z 2 release date.
In February 2019, World War Z 2 was canceled by Paramount. The pre-production phase of the movie's development hit several roadblocks. Going all the way back to 2014, Locke and Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight submitted a draft, only for Paramount to bring in Dennis Kelly (creator of tragically unfinished U.K. thriller Utopia) for a rewrite. It's looking like a rehash of the first movie's production process – rewrites en masse that could muddy the vision. The directorial candidates have been something of a revolving door, too. Juan Antonio Bayona, who helmed The Orphanage, was enlisted in 2013. Then, he stepped away due to other commitments. Bayona wound up joining the Jurassic World sequel instead.
As is often the case when greenlighting a tentpole project, corporate to-ing and fro-ing in Paramount's leadership was also ongoing while the script was undergoing rewrites. As not only a producer but an in-demand leading man, Pitt moved onto his role in Ad Astra, causing further delays (although, as a producer on the project, it does fall within his remit to pick up or drop the project as he pleases). After this, he put in a stupendous performance in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, which further delayed the sequel. But throughout all of these other films, Brad Pitt remained with World War Z 2, suggesting that he still wants to get the project steaming ahead. As of now, the sequel may not land until 2023 or 2024, if it starts moving again at all.
Another concern is China's ban on zombie and ghost movies. As a crucial global market that has remarkable sway in modern Hollywood, Paramount might have cold feet around an uncertain investment. Considering how much World War Z cost to make, Paramount could well have concerns about recouping a massive budget without the ability to screen the film to a Chinese market. All in all, it's not looking too rosy for World War Z 2's return, but the team behind it has bounced back from worse.
Related: What Makes World War Z's Lobo The Ultimate Zombie Killer Weapon
If work kicks off again on World War Z 2, Brad Pitt will resume his leading role as Gerry Lane, a former UN investigator who traverses the world looking for ways to end the zombie apocalypse. At the end of the first movie, Lane reunites with his family in a zombie-free safe zone. Gerry also comes up with a plan to vaccinate the population against the virus that transforms humans into zombies, and it goes into production by the time credits roll. If Lane can survive a plane crash surrounded by zombies, as he does toward the film's dramatic conclusion, then he can survive the pre-release carnage that seems to have been unleashed in the World War Z 2 pre-production camp.
Mireille Enos wants to return for World War Z 2, having played Gerry's wife, Karin in the first movie. It'd make sense – her character is alive and well at the end of World War Z, so a return would allow the franchise to dip straight back into Pitt and Enos' affecting chemistry. "We were all lined up to go. We had Fincher, we had a beautiful script and then it just didn’t happen," she said. "It seems like such a shame for it not to be made. The first one was so good.”
For such a big name, Pitt keeps his nose relatively clean of sequels (outside of Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's Twelve) and generally angles for auteur-driven movies with Tarantino, The Coen Brothers, and David Fincher. As a producer on a sequel to a successful blockbuster, though, he has an extra stake in this project and will do what he can to drive it over the finish line. It's his relationship with Fincher that has proven especially useful for World War Z 2, as he signed on as director years before the movie was canceled. Notably, Pitt and World War Z director Marc Forster were at loggerheads over the original's direction (Forster wanted a big, brash zombie action movie, Pitt wanted to honor the vision and nuance of the source material). Pitt and Fincher, however, seem to have a deeper synchronicity that could honor the dark ruggedness of the World War Z novel. Their pairing could also be the extra weight needed to nudge the project back onto the right desk. And as he oversaw the rewrite, Fincher might be just what this sequel needs to provide definition and forward motion to the story.
At the end of the first movie, humanity has some hope. A vaccine for the virus allows survivors to evade zombie detection and escape to safe areas. That seems pretty wrapped up, story-wise, so two avenues are available to Pitt and Fincher as they tackle World War Z 2.
The first option could draw real-life inspiration from the COVID-19 pandemic that has seen global populations hit by different variants, some of which have resisted the effects of vaccines. The virus behind World War Z's outbreak could work like any other virus and mutate under duress, throwing Gerry Lane back into the mix to find a full cure or another vaccine. The best zombie movies provide cultural commentary on the actions and attitudes of society at large – in George Romero's Night of the Living Dead, for example, its Black protagonist survives a mall full of zombies only to end up murdered by police at the conclusion. World War Z 2 has the perfect opportunity, platform, and structure to deliver a withering take on social tension throughout a real-world pandemic. If the writers and Fincher wanted to explore vaccine uptake, distrust of authorities, variants, and subsequent waves of infection, it could shine a light on current events.
The creators may try to work in some of the threads from the book. It was a huge shame that the original World War Z movie eschewed the zombie-hunting wiener dogs who slow zombies down by chewing their feet. But the book goes so far beyond the scope of the original movie. In it, the vaccine is a placebo that instills a false sense of security in the population. Once this is revealed as false, the world order completely collapses, leading to an all-out extermination attempt on zombies. Human life expectancy and quality is severely reduced afterward, and the world is stuck in a nuclear winter with limited running water – but humans did survive the ordeal in some form.
If looking to scale up from the original movie, the collapse of human civilization would probably do the trick, leading to a searing spectacle that really resonates. But the actual plot details, as with the release date, are still up in the air. One report suggested that Fincher's story idea for World War Z 2 would have Gerry Lane hunt down the person who created the virus behind the outbreak. But as Fincher never confirmed this, it's only possible to speculate. Hopefully, those who love the book and movie will eventually get to see World War Z 2 after nearly a decade of waiting.
