It took 13 years, but Paramount is finally ready to make the long-gestating sequel to World War Z.
According to Deadline, Brad Pitt has signed a deal to return as retired United Nations investigator Gerald “Gerry” Lane. Edward Berger has also been tapped to direct the sequel.
Apparently, Berger directing World War Z 2 was Pitt’s idea. Sources state that the two were eager to work together again, having recently wrapped production on the A24 picture The Riders. In fact, Pitt reportedly was pitching Berger on World War Z 2 during the shoot. Looks like he was successful.
Dennis Kelly will write the script. The World War Z franchise is based on Max Brooks bestselling 2006 novel, World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War. Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner will produce on behalf of Plan B Entertainment. Berger will executive produce.
Brad Pitt Has Wanted to Make World War Z Since 2013
Given that World War Z was Pitt’s highest-grossing movie until F1 came along, it makes sense that he’d have been one of the driving forces behind getting a sequel into production. Those who have been following the sequel’s troubled production history know that a different version of this project was almost made in the late 2010s with David Fincher at the helm.
However, when budgetary issues arose, Fincher left the film, and the project was effectively canceled until earlier this year, when Paramount announced a new installment at CinemaCon 2026. Back then, it wasn’t clear whether it would be a reboot or the long-awaited sequel. Now we know it’s the latter.
That’s all for now. We’ll make sure to keep you updated as World War Z 2 continues to come together.
Are you a fan of World War Z? Have you, like Pitt, been waiting for the sequel to finally happen?
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