‘World War Z’ Sequel Production Start and Working Title Revealed

After years of rumors regarding production and release date delays, it looks like a sequel to World War Z is finally moving forward, according to Production Weekly. The outlet claims that production on the film, under the working title of “Maximillian,” will begin in late March, shooting in Thailand, Spain, and Atlanta, Georgia.

One of the last updates fans got about the film came last October from the producers, with Dede Gardner claiming, “We’re starting to shoot in June. What more do you need to know? Brad Pitt is Jerry Lane. He’s back. David Fincher‘s directing.”

In regards to the script, Jeremy Kleiner added, “Dennis Kelly, an incredible writer, wrote Utopia, Matilda, we’re working on a bunch of stuff with him. We’re still working on the script but he’s done an amazing job. We think it’s gonna be great.”

The new film will be directed by David Fincher and star Brad Pitt.

Prior to Fincher coming on board to direct the film, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom director J.A. Bayona was slated to direct, though those plans ultimately fell through.

“We were working on that project for around a year, and we had a great idea,” Bayona previously detailed to Den of Geek. “We were very excited. We designed great set pieces, and we were very excited with the direction we were taking with the film, but somehow, we never found a way to connect it all together.”

“There was a moment where we were about to start production, and I wasn’t ready,” he added. “I told them and I said, ‘Listen, I’m not the right guy for this. There’s probably another guy who’s able to take care of this in a way that the movie will not get affected,’ so I decided to step out of the project.”

Despite zombies being one of the more exciting horror subgenres in recent years, the franchise has experienced countless disruptions in development.

Based on the Max Brooks novel of the same name, production on the adaptation began in 2011 with a budget of $125 million. The film’s planned finale required a large array of firearms, which were confiscated by authorities in Budapest after the production failed to properly declare the props with the local government, which resulted in the film being delayed into the following year.

LOST co-creator Damon Lindelof was tapped to re-write the film’s third act in 2012, only to depart the project before writing an ending. Cabin in the Woods director Drew Goddard then stepped in to finish writing the film, though his new ending required nearly 40 minutes of new footage to form a more cohesive narrative.

After all the re-shoots, the production budget ended up totaling closer to $200 million. The film had intended to hit theaters in December of 2012 and was eventually released in the summer of 2013. Despite all these starts, stops, and alterations, the film went on to earn $540 million worldwide, making it a success.

Stay tuned for details on the World War Z sequel.

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