The original World War Z film debuted in 2013, with Brad Pitt starring and Marc Forster directing. Thirteen years later, a sequel is finally officially in the works, with Brad Pitt set to return, but stepping into the director’s chair will be Edward Berger.
Paramount has discussed a sequel dating back to 2013, with nothing able to get into motion. Berger is also set to be executive producer, with Pitt producing alongside Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner via Plan B Entertainment. Tony Award winner Dennis Kelly penned the script for the now-upcoming sequel. The original film was loosely based on World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, a novel written by Max Brooks. The film pivoted towards upping the stakes into a global disaster, with Pitt playing Gerry Lane, a former United Nations employee who set out to track down a cure to the zombie outbreak.
Fans of the franchise will recall a major disconnect between artist and studio regarding the third act of the film. With the budget rapidly ticking upwards, the film’s third act was rewritten and reshot, but it all paid off in the end as the film grossed $540 million globally against an approximate total that put the budget at $269 million. The shape of a sequel has taken on many forms, with both J.A. Bayona and David Fincher connected to the franchise. Skydance’s takeover in 2025 prioritized getting a sequel into active development.
Brad Pitt is not unfamiliar with Edward Berger, as the pair currently have a film in post-production titled The Riders, where Pitt stars alongside Julianne Nicholson. Pitt will also shortly be on the silver screen, starting in Paramount’s Heart of the Beast, which is set to debut later this month.
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