Despite the eventual box-office success of 2013’s trouble-plagued zombie thriller World War Z, plans for a sequel seemed to have stalled out earlier this year when the movie was removed from Paramount Pictures’ upcoming schedule of releases. Development now seems to be underway again, as the project has reportedly landed a high-profile director to give it momentum.
Seven and Gone Girl director David Fincher is reportedly finalizing a deal to direct the sequel to World War Z, which would mark his fourth collaboration with star Brad Pitt.
According to Variety, production is expected to begin on the still-untitled sequel in early 2018, although the studio has yet to officially green-light the project or confirm Fincher’s involvement. A two-time Academy Award nominee, Fincher was first mentioned as a potential director on the project last year when Pitt reportedly began pitching it to him as their next collaboration.
The first World War Z cast Pitt as former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane, who gets caught up in a globe-spanning race against time to find a cure to a pandemic that’s turning humanity into flesh-hungry zombies. The well-received film was based on Max Brooks’ popular book of the same name, and infamously ran into production problems that prompted expensive reshoots of the film’s third act. Even with the reshoots, however, the film managed to turn a profit, with ticket sales of more than $540 million worldwide.
If the report regarding Fincher proves true, it will be only his second time working on a sequel. Fincher previously directed 1992’s Alien 3. However, it will be his fourth time directing Pitt, following 1995’s Seven, 1999’s Fight Club, and 2008’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
There’s currently no release date set for the World War Z sequel, and no details are known about which direction it might take Pitt’s character.
