"World War Z 2" is quickly becoming a highly anticipated movie after reports began to surface that Brad Pitt was tapping David Fincher to direct the film. News about Pitt courting Fincher further reinforces that Paramount is still keen on making a sequel despite the project taking no particular direction yet.
Collider recently spoke to Skydance Media CEO David Ellison about the status of "World War Z 2" and whether Fincher would helm the film. "There's a script that we're incredibly happy with, and it's just getting a couple of key deals closed... We hope [Fincher] makes the movie," Ellison said.
Fincher himself has also expressed interest at working on "World War Z 2." According to The Hollywood Reporter, he is still "very creatively interested in directing the movie."
"He really would like to do it," a source close to Fincher said. "It's up to Paramount."
Prior to Fincher, J.A. Bayona was initially courted to direct the film. However, he left the project to focus instead of "Jurassic World."
It is unclear who wrote the latest draft of the "World War Z 2," although reports confirm that Steven Knight previously submitted a script for the movie.
Having Fincher on board "World War Z 2" is a welcome change for fans. His films have been critical darlings, including "The Social Network," "Zodiac," "Gone Girl" and "Panic Room." Fincher and Pitt worked on the epic drama "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Fight Club."
"World War Z" grossed $540 million worldwide. The movie, which was directed by Marc Foster, got into several problems during production and had to do several reshoots in order to build up the movie's third act. The movie followed a family facing the onslaught of a zombie apocalypse and fighting their way to survive.
"World War Z 2," however, is expected to work on a budget less than the $190 million allotted for the first film. Pitt is producing the sequel together with Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner and David Ellison.
For now, no filming schedule has been revealed for the sequel. The film, however, has been pulled out from Skydance's movie slate for 2017.