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. Notably, though World War Z's reshoots led to delays and the budget grew to $190 million, it did make $540 million at the box office, which makes a solid case for the sequel to get made.
Despite the last-minute reshoots and changes, World War Z is the highest-grossing zombie movie of all time, so World War Z 2 languishing on the slate shouldn't dishearten those who loved 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. 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 World War Z 2 to warrant its development. It's just whether everything can align to make World War Z 2 possible. Here are the latest updates on World War Z 2 and why it's taking so long.
World War Z 2's Delays Explained - Is It Canceled?
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.
Meanwhile, as not only a producer but an in-demand leading man, Brad Pitt moved onto his role in Ad Astra, causing further delays. After this, Pitt 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 2024 or 2025, 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, as China's ban on specific film elements will not be going away anytime soon. That said, the team behind the World War Z sequel has bounced back from worse.
Brad Pitt Is Returning For World War Z 2 (If It Happens)
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, with survivors actually beginning to mount offensives against zombies. Based on how the original film ended, World War Z 2 could show how the world overcomes the kind of apocalypse that destroyed it in The Walking Dead series.
Mireille Enos also 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 (David) 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.”
World War Z 2's Story: What Could Happen?
Since World War Z is a zombie movie, the plot of World War Z 2 will of course focus on zombies, and how humanity deals with the aftermath of the initial outbreak. During World War Z's ending, humanity earns an edge of hope. A vaccine for the virus allows survivors to evade zombie detection and escape to safe areas. This aspect of the narrative was wrapped up pretty neatly in World War Z, so two avenues are available to Pitt in World War Z 2.
The first option could draw real-life inspiration from the COVID-19 pandemic which 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. Movies like Army of the Dead 2 and World War Z 2 have the perfect opportunity, platform, and structure to deliver a withering take on social tension throughout a real-world pandemic. If the writers wanted to explore vaccine uptake, distrust of authorities, variants, and subsequent waves of infection, it could shine a light on current events.
The second option is to dive deeper into 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. Similar to the political struggles that drove the plot of The Walking Dead season 11, the original novel is an examination of humanity at the worst of times. In the book, once the vaccine is revealed as false, the world order completely collapses, leading to an all-out extermination attempt on zombies. Human life expectancy and quality are 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.
Why The Fincher World War Z Sequel Is A Lost Opportunity
World War Z 2's actual plot details and the release date are still up in the air, but what's clear is that director David Fincher is no longer involved, which is a lost opportunity that would've undoubtedly led to an interesting sequel. 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. Notably, the quality of every Brad Pitt and David Fincher movie collaboration — Se7en, Fight Club, and even The Curious Case of Benjamin Button — suggests that Fincher's World War Z 2 could have been extraordinary. In the first place, it was Brad Pitt's relationship with Fincher that gave World War Z 2 a push, as Fincher signed on as director years before the movie was canceled. More importantly, Pitt and Fincher seem to have deeper synchronicity that could honor the dark ruggedness of the World War Z novel.
In contrast, Pitt and World War Z director Marc Forster were at odds over the original's direction. Forster wanted a big, brash zombie action movie, while Pitt wanted to honor the vision and nuance of the source material. The Fincher/Pitt pairing could also have been the extra weight needed to nudge the project back onto the right desk. David Fincher's World War Z 2 isn't entirely dead in the water, as the sequel's prolonged time in development hell will only push Pitt and the other producers to look to every possible way to finally begin production. As Fincher oversaw the rewrite, he might be just what this sequel needs to provide definition and forward motion to the story. If David Fincher does end up helming World War Z 2 after all, Pitt and Fincher are bound to dive deeper into the novels for a more faithful adaptation.
World War Z 2 Might Have Missed Its Moment
What's currently popular in the horror genre is ever-changing. In the 2020s zombie movies have shuffled back to being a niche interest as opposed to the box office powerhouses they once were. The Walking Dead ended in 2022, and while there are plenty of spinoffs set to hit the screens, it looks to be the only popular zombie-themed property right now. However, this is because of the extensive roster of characters and the long 11-season story. Still, it doesn't change the fact that the audience's hunger for zombie movies that World War Z rode on in the 2010s appears to have been satiated.
World War Z 2 may have missed the boat, and it's unclear whether the film would reach the same status as its predecessor. Right now, slasher films and vampires are in the spotlight, thanks to the Scream movies and the new Halloween trilogy, as well as properties like Midnight Mass giving a whole new spin on vampires. While World War Z 2 has arguably missed its day in the sun in terms of cultural relevancy, streaming services could mitigate that. Viewers with more specific interests are turning to streaming for all of their niche needs, and if World War Z 2 has a good enough story, it's possible that putting it on streaming could mitigate this issue. Either way, it might be too late for World War Z 2, as the zombiephilic pop-culture era that made the World War Z sequel viable is well and truly over.