Brad Pitt is back as Gerry Lane in World War Z 2 The long-awaited sequel to the zombie hit will bring the actor back to his role as Gerry Lane while Oscar-winning director Edward Berger directs for Paramount Pictures. This news puts an end to the film’s decade-long stumble from development limbo.
The actor Pitt, will be returning as the ex-United Nations researcher turned pivotal character in the battle against a fast moving zombie outbreak. The first movie, directed by Marc Forster, came out in 2013 and grossed more than $540 million globally making it one of the biggest financial hits for the zombie franchise.
Paramount is producing the new sequel with fan favorite British screenwriter Dennis Kelly writing the screenplay. Plot for the new film is being kept under wraps at the moment (with no official title, scheduled release date, filming dates, or even a cast list), so it’s just as up in the air as ever what the plot will be.
Berger’s return has breathed new life into the project. The filmmaker directed All Quiet on the Western Front and Conclave, and teamed with Pitt recently on The Riders. The two made the A24 feature before Berger jumped on board to direct the world war z sequel.
Also, Pitt will remain on board as a producer of the sequel, now from his production company Plan B Entertainment, plus Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner; Berger will also take on an executive producer credit beyond her duties directing. This arrangement will allow Pitt to be both in front of and behind the camera as the franchise comes back.
The world’s most wanted new World War Z has been a familiar Hollywood script. Paramount said in April that another instalment was in the works, without elaborating at the time. Past efforts by the studio to forge a new film in the franchise included projects involving directors like J.A. Bayona and David Fincher the latter of whom was attached to direct it for several years until its ultimate failure owing to budgetary and other issues.
The initial movie was only loosely based on Max Brooks’ book World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, published in 2006. Although the book takes the form of an oral history from accounts of the global zombie war, the 2013 film created a completely different action movie narrative, revolving around the character Gerry Lane, and his attempt to comprehend and halt the outbreak. The sequel will also follow on in the world of the movie, rather than the book, as Brooks does not have a sequel to World War Z.
Yet the most unanswered question is whether any of the other original cast members will be appearing. Paramount has done no such now by confirming the participation of Miraielle Enos, who played the part of Gerry Lane’s wife Karin, or any other original cast member. The studio has also failed to confirm whether the sequel will be using any of the same characters or settings as the first.
