“World War Z 2” is official, and Jim Gianopulos, the new studio head at Paramount Pictures, confirmed that David Fincher is on board to direct the World War Z sequel — and, yes, Brad Pitt is reprising his leading role.
Gianopulos also revealed that the film is in “active development” at the studio, but he didn’t provide a potential “World War Z 2” release date. It has long been rumored that David Fincher has been in discussions to helm the sequel to the 2013 zombie, horror, action blockbuster, which grossed $540 million worldwide.
David Fincher and “World War Z 2” is great news but not guaranteed
Brad Pitt and David Fincher have a long and illustrious history together as actor and director. Their first collaboration was on 1995’s “Se7en,” which was not only a smash hit success but also a critically lauded film for being a subversive take on the crime-thriller genre. Brad Pitt’s star power and ability to help David Fincher get his vision on screen allowed the director to smoothly re-enter the cinematic ether after the trauma of making “Aliens 3.” David Fincher endured such pain and toil on his debut feature film that, after its production, he declared he’d rather have colon cancer than direct another picture.
Since then, David Fincher has become one of the most lauded and luminary filmmakers working in Hollywood. As well as overseeing Brad Pitt in “Fight Club” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” David Fincher has also directed “The Game,” “Panic Room,” “Zodiac,” “The Social Network,” “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” and “Gone Girl,” and is one of the most visceral, mesmerising, intelligent and powerful cinematic voices working today.
But we shouldn’t start dancing and singing in the streets in celebration just yet. Over the last few years, David Fincher has made a habit of signing up for intriguing projects only to then drop out on the cusp of production. David Fincher was previously set to oversee “Steve Jobs,” but dropped out in August 2014 due to contractual disputes. Between 2010 and 2013, he also developed a “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” remake with Disney, but he ultimately left the project to direct “Gone Girl” because he wanted to cast Channing Tatum in the lead, but Disney wanted Chris Hemsworth.
Time will tell if “World War Z 2” will suffer the same fate. But since Brad Pitt is there to help the director through such conflicts, there’s a higher chance that David Fincher will actually direct “World War Z 2,” and finally make the tentpole blockbuster that he’d originally intended with “Aliens 3” 25 years ago.
