File this under: “You’ve gotta be kidding me!”
In a frankly shocking piece of news, David Fincher is evidently nearing a deal to direct the World War Z sequel for Paramount Pictures and Skydance Productions. The news, first reported by Variety, seems particularly surprising given that Paramount had previously yanked the film from its release calendar, but stranger things have happened. Now it seems that Fincher will join returning star Brad Pitt for a new foray into the world of fast-moving zombie action.The fact that World War Z is actually getting a sequel makes sense given that it earned $540 million at the global box office. While Fincher is reportedly weary of doing sequels after his unpleasant experiences with Alien 3, the fan-favorite director and his talent for crafting intricate, creepy dark dramas seem like they could provide a breath of fresh air for the World War Z-quel.
This dynamic duo of David Fincher and Brad Pitt is one that is a proven commodity both at the box office and among audiences. The pair has had a fruitful artistic partnership over the years, collaborating on Se7en, Fight Club, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. They were working on a reboot of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea together for Disney several years ago, but the project fell apart in the development phase.
Fincher’s filmmaking style seems particularly well suited to hew closer to the Max Brooks novel on which the film franchise is based, and could offer a series of dark, twisted stories about life after the zombie apocalypse using globetrotting ex-UN employee-turned-hero Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) as the lens through which we experience them.
According to reports, the film has not yet been officially greenlit by newly minted Paramount CEO Jim Gianopulos, but it is expected to go into production in early 2018. Fingers crossed that we won’t have succumbed to zombie fatigue by then.
What do you think of this news? What would you want to see from a World War Z sequel? Let us know in the comments below.
Image: Paramount Pictures
Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of books about Star Wars and the Avengers. Follow him on Twitter ( @Osteoferocious).