Brad Pitt has officially signed on to star in the sequel to the 2013 film World War Z, which grossed more than 540 million dollars worldwide. Pitt, who played former United Nations employee Gerry Lane in the first film, will also appear in the new production; the sequel’s plot has not yet been disclosed. The film will be directed by Edward Berger, director of All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave, with a screenplay by Dennis Kelly. Pitt will produce on behalf of Plan B alongside Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, while Berger will serve as an executive producer. The first film, adapted from Max Brooks’s 2006 novel, was directed by Marc Forster. Earlier attempts at a sequel, including one involving David Fincher, were canceled, and Paramount announced the project at CinemaCon in April. The development was announced during the promotion of Pitt’s The Heart of the Beast.
Why it matters
The project’s return to the agenda shows that the unsuccessful sequel attempts following the first film have been replaced by a different creative team. This change raises the question of whether the production will move in a direction independent of the previous drafts; particularly for viewers of the first film, the decisive issue will be how the new story is connected to the Gerry Lane character and the world of the series. The involvement of Edward Berger and Dennis Kelly creates expectations of a new approach to the directing and screenplay, but the scope of that approach remains unknown because the film’s plot has not been disclosed. In addition, the cancellation of previous attempts serves as a reminder that the announcement alone does not mean the project will be completed.