After 12 Years, It Seems that The Highest Grossing Zombie Movie of All Time May Be Getting a Sequel

World War Z, the 2013 action horror film starring Brad Pitt, was a huge hit when it hit theaters. Directed by Marc Forster and written by Matthew Michael Carnahan, Drew Goddard, and Damon Lindelof, the movie is based on Max Brooks’ 2006 novel of the same name. Pitt plays Gerry Lane, a former United Nations investigator who travels around the world trying to find a solution to a sudden zombie apocalypse.

The film also features Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale, and Matthew Fox in supporting roles. World War Z premiered in London on June 2, 2013, and received generally positive reviews. Critics praised Pitt’s performance and said the movie was a strong revival of the zombie genre, though some felt the ending was anti-climactic and not faithful to the book.

The movie earned over $540 million worldwide on a $190 million budget, making it the highest-grossing zombie film of all time. A sequel was announced soon after, but it was eventually canceled in February 2019, reportedly due to budget issues and restrictions in China.

Now, since Paramount and Skydance merged, CEO David Ellison confirmed that World War Z is seen as one of the key properties as they continue to put focus on originals. This means that the franchise might be getting a second life.

Back in January 2012 it was reported that Marc Forster and Paramount Pictures saw World War Z as the start of a trilogy. It was meant to combine the grounded, realistic style of the Jason Bourne movies with the end-of-the-world tone of AMC’s The Walking Dead. Production problems delayed any plans for sequels, but after the first film’s success in June 2013, Paramount announced they were moving forward with a sequel.

J. A. Bayona was attached to direct in December 2013, and Steven Knight was brought on to write the script in May 2014. The movie was initially scheduled for a June 9, 2017 release. However, by January 2016, Bayona had left the project due to other commitments.

Then in 2016, the sequel had not yet started production, but David Fincher was in talks to direct. By April 2017, Fincher was close to signing on. Paramount confirmed him as the director in June 2017, with Brad Pitt set to return as Gerry Lane. Filming was supposed to begin in fall 2018, but Fincher’s work on the television series Mindhunter caused delays.

In October 2018, producer Dede Gardner confirmed that filming would start in June 2019, with pre-production set across five countries. However, in February 2019, the sequel was officially canceled. A source told The Hollywood Reporter that “the Chinese government’s ban on films featuring zombies or ghosts was the single major reason” Paramount pulled the plug.

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