After four years of development, Paramount’s sequelWorld War Z 2is finally moving forward withdirector David Fincher. The filmmaker had been rumored for the project for nearly a year, after Brad Pitt first mentioned it in an August 2016 interview. Still, Paramount hasn’t set a release date at this time, and it isn’t clear when production starts. But the filmmaker revealed in a new interview for his Netflix seriesMindhunterthat he’s still working on the story. Here’s what he had to say below.
“We’re trying. A lot of stones have been laid. We’re just deconstructing it right now against the mythology that exists to see where we can go.”
World War Z 2had been originally slated for release on June 19, 2025, but that never happened, since, in February, Paramountindefinitely delayed World War Z 2, taking the sequel off its release slate entirely. While David Fincher is on board to direct, with Brad Pit returning to star as Gerry Lane, the studio hasn’t issued a new release date, nor have they announced when production begins. Given the director’s comments about how the script is still very much a work in progress, it may be quite some time before we get to see this movie in theaters.
This sequel originally had J.A. Bayona (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) attached to direct, but then it was revealed that he would take onA Monster Callsfirst, before ultimately backing away fromWorld War Z 2altogether.Writer Steven Knight(Eastern Promises) boarded the project in May 2014, with the writer revealing in January 2015 that the movie will start with a “clean slate” adding that it’s not quite like the last movie. Still, that was long before David Fincher came aboard, and it isn’t even clear if the director is working with Steven Knight on the story, or if another writer has been brought in.
This project will also mark a reunion for directorDavid Fincher and Brad Pitt, marking the fourth time they have worked together on the big screen. David Fincher’s 1995 breakout hitSe7enwas his first project with Brad Pitt, followed by 1999’sFight Cluband 2008’sThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Aside from Brad Pitt’s Gerry Lane, it hasn’t been confirmed if otherWorld War Zstars will be back for this sequel, such as Mireille Enos as Gerry’s wife Karin, Daniella Kertesz as Segen or Sterling Jerins and Abigail Hargrove as Gerry and Karin’s kids, Constance Lane and Rachel Lane.
Now that David Fincher is on board and the story is coming together, it’s possible that a newWorld War Z 2 release datewill be announced in the near future. The originalWorld War Zearned $202.3 million domestic and $540 million worldwide, from a whopping $190 million budget. It remains to be seen if Paramount will try and aim for a lower budget for this sequel this time around. You can visit Little White Lies for their full interview with David Fincher, where he also discusses Netflix’sMindhunterand his thoughts on “auteur” filmmaking.
