Catching Some Zs: David Fincher Officially Confirmed To Direct 'World War Z' Sequel

Are you rotting comfortably, because there is some major news from Paramount Pictures about the sequel to #WorldWarZ. After being originally scheduled for release this year, the studio randomly pulled the sequel from its slate and gave no further indication of a release date. Given the popularity of 2013's original film starring #BradPitt, and all parties seeming interested in returning to the idea, the fact that World War Z 2 shuffled to an early grave really was the "Pitts."

Well, the zombie gods have answered our prayers and acclaimed director #DavidFincher will officially sit in the director's chair. Brad Pitt will also return to star (and produce) the long-awaited sequel about super-fast hordes of infected in a crumbling society. Fincher had been tipped to take over from Marc Foster — who had declined to return as director — and I even wrote an article about why Fincher would be perfect for the job, so rest assured we're all rejoicing.

From The 'Pitts' Of Development Hell

It sounds like the 54-year-old Gone Girl director had already bigged himself up enough, telling the studio that he was "very creatively interested" in coming on board, however, The Hollywood Reporter now confirms that he has nabbed the part.

Paramount chairman Jim Gianopulos announced the news in a wide-ranging interview about the company's plans, and although his answers were brief, it was all we needed. When asked about the state of possible World War Z 2, Gianopulos replied:

"We're in advanced development."

Further quizzed whether it will involve Fincher and Pitt, he confirmed, "Yes." So, there we have it, finally some good news on the project. Although the film is in advanced development, the only casting news we have so far is Pitt reprising his role as UN investigator Gerry Lane.

Hungry For More

Fincher certainly has an impressive CV, and his film credits include gritty thriller Se7en, the lauded Fight Club, and the heartwarming The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. You may notice a bit of a Brad Pitt theme here, and World War Z 2 will be the pair's fourth film together — awww, isn't that sweet?

Loosely based off the 2006 novel of the same name, the best and worst parts of World War Z were how much it differed from Max Brooks's original book. Undergoing a complete overhaul of the film's final act, World War Z could've ended very differently indeed. However, by going on a completely different tangent than Brooks, it means there is more than enough source material for Fincher to take a bite out of this time around.

World War Z 2 was originally slated for a June 9 release, meaning that we should actually be sitting down to watch it right now. Clearly that isn't the case, and while no new release date has been given, expect Fincher to move as quickly as those ravenous zombies. The original film's scriptwriter, Steven Knight, had provided a "clean slate" treatment for the sequel back in 2015, but with quite some time having passed since then, it is unknown whether Fincher will start again (again). However, with four years already since we left Gerry Lane sailing to sanctuary, there are already fears that horror fans may have lost their appetite for the brains of the thinking-man's zombie film.

(Source: The Hollywood Reporter)