What has been rumoured for a while now looks set to be true. Variety reports that David Fincher is setting up to direct zombie sequel World War Z 2.
Brad Pitt, who’s teamed up with Fincher three times prior, deserves a pat on the back for wooing him and likely helping him get a deal with no studio interference (which is paramount for Fincher). During Se7en, for example, Fincher wanted Kevin Spacey for the role of John Doe but the studio declined until Pitt went to bat for him.
Another huge factor was Paramount’s new chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos (who collaborated with Fincher on Gone Girl ) being a trusted producer willing to green-light the sequel that was at one point off of Paramount’s radar.
Production won’t begin until early 2018 due to Pitt filming James Gray‘s Ad Astra, so Fincher has plenty of time to prep and finish up on Netflix’s Mindhunters series.
Despite Fincher’s disdain for sequels dating back to his horrific experience with Alien 3, the pieces are in place for him. World War Z didn’t blow away the box office or the critics, but there’s enough there to believe that someone as talented as Fincher can mould it into something fantastic.
Whilst it’s certainly a surprising choice for his next project, Fincher has surprised us before with his choices, and he hasn’t been wrong yet.
#Peace.Love.WorldWarZ
