World War Z 2is being put on hold for what may or may not be a very good reason. Last night, after months of swirling rumors, Brad Pitt was finally confirmed to reunite with hisInglourious Basterdsdirector Quentin Tarantino for his newly-titled projectOnce Upon a Time in Hollywoodfor Sony Pictures. Shortly after that news broke, it was also revealed that Brad Pitt’s involvement in this project lead to Paramount Pictures delaying principal photography on the already long-delayedWorld War Z 2, to accommodate their star. Here’s what Variety reporter Justin Kroll had to say about theWorld War Z 2delay on Twitter, while offering a casting update onOnce Upon a Time in Hollywoodas well.
“On this one, don’t know what this means for Cruise and this movie (likely means he passed) but had heard later this week that WWZ2 had pushed to the fall shoot leaving time forBrad Pittto squeeze in this pic. My understanding is that Margot is still up for Tate and thatQuentin Tarantinohas met with a number of actors for other smaller parts and now that the main roles have been cast those smaller parts should come together shortly.”
World War Z 2has essentiallybeen in developmentsinceWorld War Zhit theaters in the summer of 2013, with this adaptation of Max Brooks' novel taking in $202.3 million domestically and $540 million worldwide, from a whopping $190 million budget. The movie originally had Juan Antonio Bayona set to direct before he backed away to helmA Monster Callsinstead. Steven Knight (Eastern Promises) came aboard to write the script in May 2014, and almost exactly a year later in May 2015, Paramount set a August 14, 2025 release date. With little to no movement on the project, Paramount indefinitely delayedWorld War Z 2last February, but in June 2017, it was finally confirmed that David Fincher will direct this sequel, his first feature film since 2014’sGone Girl.
The last update we had on this sequel was in November 2017, when director David Fincher revealed in an interview that he isstill working on the story, although it isn’t known if he is doing so with writer Steven Knight, or if a different writer has been brought on to work with David Fincher. While Brad Pitt’s Gerry Lane has long been confirmed to return for this sequel, it remains to be seen if otherWorld War Zstars such as Mireille Enos (Karin Lane), Daniella Kertesz (Segen), Sterling Jerins (Constance Lane) or Abigail Hargrove (Rachel Lane) will be brought back forWorld War Z 2.
Since there has been no release date announced forWorld War Z 2, this production date shift will give the production team more time to work on the script and put together a cast for this sequel, although no plot details have been revealed at this time. Since the first movie was based on the Max Brooks book, the sequel will be delving into completely new territory that will likely go beyond the book, but now with production being delayed, it may be quite some time before we have any concrete details onWorld War Z 2. Take a look at the tweets fromJustin Kroll Twitterbelow, as we wait for more onWorld War Z 2.
