A sequel to Brad Pitt’s $540 million zombie movie,World War Z, could have allowed its director to redeem one of the most infamous sci-fi movies of all time. Theending ofWorld War Zunderwent several changesduring production, yet a sequel was always a possibility for the film. As it was released theatrically, the ending of the film saw Pitt’s Garry Lane uncover the idea that injecting humans with curable pathogens makes them invisible to the zombies. This actively teased asequel toWorld War Zin which the military can more easily face the zombie horde.
Although asequel toWorld War Zhas not happened yet, many fans of the first movie still hold out hope. Paramount originally ordered a sequel after the relative success of the first film saw it gross a worldwide total of $540 million against a $200 million budget. However, since then, the production has suffered in development hell, and thezombie movie sequel toWorld War Zwas eventually canceled. If the movie had happened as originally planned though, it could have redeemed one of the most notorious sci-fi movies in history.
World War Z 2 Would’ve Been David Fincher’s First Sci-Fi Sequel Since Alien 3
Firstly, it is worth exploring howWorld War Z 2would have connected to the sci-fi film in question:Alien 3. Four years after the first movie was released worldwide, it was announced that acclaimed director David Fincher had signed on to direct a sequel toWorld War Z. Fincher began developing the film before suffering setbacks due to his work on Netflix’sMindhunter.Despite filming set to begin in June 2019, the film was canceled in February 2019, with reports claiming that the Chinese government banning movies featuring zombies or ghosts was the sole factor for this decision.
10 Years Ago, Brad Pitt Was Going To Revolutionize Zombie Movies - So What Happened?
World War Z was once tipped to become a “genre-defining” blockbuster that would change zombie movies, which didn’t prove to be the case.
IfWorld War Z 2had gone ahead with Fincher in the director’s chair, it would have been the first sci-fi movie the filmmaker had helmed sinceAlien 3. Alien 3was Fincher’s first movie and is notorious for being one he outright disowns due to studio interference. If Fincher had worked onWorld War Z 2,the director’s accumulated reputation sinceAlien 3would have undoubtedly led to full creative control. Therefore, the mistakes ofAlien 3could have been rectified with Fincher finally making a sci-fi sequel in the way he wanted to, without negative creative oversight.
What Went Wrong During The Making Of David Fincher’s Alien 3
Several Elements Of Production Saw Alien 3 Become A Jumble Of Multiple Films
Concerning what went wrong withAlien 3’s production, it may be quicker to explore what did not. Arguably many ofAlien 3’s biggest issues were implemented before Fincher even signed on to direct. Initially, the film was proposed as a continuation of theAlienmovie timelinein a way that reinvented it. Cyberpunk author William Gibson was hired to write a script but was pushed into doing so in only a few months due to fears of the impending 1988 Writer’s Guild of America strike. Gibson’s script has since been well-received by fans, despite the studio declining it.
Gibson’s script was adapted as a comic series, a full-cast audio drama, and a novel, proving how well-received it likely would have been due to its action-packed story.
After Gibson refused another rewrite and left the project, Eric Red wrote a draft. Red has also since disowned this script, stating it was not his story and the result of story conferences and studio interferences. This process repeated several other times; Red left the project and a script by writer David Twohy was created. Once Vincent Ward was hired as director, he rewrote the script again. When Ward refused to make several changes commissioned by the studio, he was replaced by producers Walter Hill and David Giler. The duo worked with script doctor Larry Ferguson before Fincher was hired.
All of this interference from the studio regarding story ideas, writers, and directors saw Fincher handed an incoherent jumble of a movie to direct…
Hill and Giler then rushed into creating a script that combined the best aspects of all prior stories, with Fincher and author Rex Pickett also making changes to the screenplay. All of this interference from the studio regarding story ideas, writers, and directors saw Fincher handed an incoherent jumble of a movie to direct. Even during filming,Fincher was the victim of studio interference, since disowning the film and blaming producers for not having faith in him, and renderingAlien 3as one of theworst-rankedAlienmovies.
What David Fincher’s World War Z Sequel Would Have Looked Like
Had Fincher been given the opportunity to redeem his time onAlien 3by crafting a sci-fi movie of his own design withWorld War Z 2,the latter film would have been undeniably intriguing. Since the film was canceled, Fincher has opened up about what his film would have looked like. In an interview withGQfor his filmThe Killer,Fincher was asked about the ideas for his story, with the director likening it to HBO’s recent zombie thrillerThe Last of Us:
“Well, it was a little likeThe Last of Us. I’m glad that we didn’t do what we were doing, becauseThe Last of Ushas a lot more real estate to explore the same stuff. In our title sequence, we were going to use the little parasite… they used it in their title sequence, and in that wonderful opening with the Dick Cavett, David Frost-style talk show.”
Aside from the comparisons toThe Last of Us,there have been other rumors aboutWorld War Z 2’s prospective plot. It was rumored that the film would introduce the idea that the vaccine from the ending of the first movie would only last 36 hours, resulting in the war against the hordes turning for the worst and leading to more political tension. Regardless of how it would have looked, aWorld War Zsequel is not happening anymore, despite the possibility of Fincher’s redemption regardingAlien 3.
World War Z
Cast
Based on the novel by Max Brooks, World War Z tells the story of a world ravaged by a zombie virus. Former United Nations investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) braves the apocalypse in search of a cure. He is tasked with finding the point of origin of the virus in order to synthesize a vaccine, reluctantly doing so in exchange for his family’s safety. His search takes him around the world, where he witnesses all the devastation of the apocalypse.
