14 DAY TRIAL // Plans for the sequel of the hit zombie apocalypse movie “World War Z” are well under way. News has emerged that Brad Pitt's production company Plan B has managed to add the name of director Juan Antonio Bayona to the project.
The director has also been responsible for the drama “The Impossible,” which told the story of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and starred Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor in the title roles. Bayona was present on the shortlist of Plan B production house and it is believed that he will also be overseeing the writing process.
He was chosen for his ability to play with drama and scary scenes, while at the same time being able to handle big action sequences, all of which will be in abundance in the "World War Z" sequel.
The first movie, “World War Z,” loosely based on the Max Brooks novel bearing the same name, was an unexpected summer hit at the box office, both in the US and everywhere else in the world, which was a clear indication that a sequel would be in the making.
That doesn't mean that the project was smooth sailing; on the contrary, there were well documented issues with production, as the entire third act of the movie had to be re-written and reshot.
The director for the first movie was Marc Forster, also known for projects such as “Quantum of Solace”, but he and Brad Pitt didn't see eye to eye on the ending, which is why they had to reshoot it.
A sequel to the first film was hinted in the ending of “World War Z” when Pitt's character, Gerry Lane, narrates “This isn't the end. Not even close. Our war has just begun.”
Seeing as how the first film focused on the outbreak, the discovery of what caused it and what could be done to cure it, it's very likely that the second one deals with the actual war and its consequences, as presented in the book by Max Brooks.