Despite numerous delays, for a little bit there a couple of years ago it looked like World War Z 2 was actually going to happen. The sequel to 2013’s zombie film was set to be helmed by none other than David Fincher, reuniting him with his Se7en co-star Brad Pitt. Alas it was not to be as Paramount Pictures pulled the plug on the film last February. But it takes a lot to kill a zombie and World War Z producer Jeremy Kleiner explained why he still wants a sequel to happen, saying:
Someday. We love Max Brooks’ book. We love the universe of it. It doesn’t feel like the World War Z is done and over with.
Jeremy Kleiner is the co-president of Plan B Entertainment alongside co-president Dede Gardner and owner Brad Pitt and under their leadership the production company has shepherded a slew of hits and awards winners including 12 Years a Slave, Moonlight and World War Z. And as one of the people behind Marc Forster’s zombie film, Jeremy Kleiner clearly hasn’t given up on World War Z 2.
As Jeremy Kleiner tells The Hollywood Reporter, he and the team at Plan B still want a World War Z sequel to happen simply because they are huge fans of the material. There is a whole world to explore in Max Brooks’ 2006 book World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War and the Marc Forster film that adapted it and Jeremy Kleiner loves that zombie-infested universe.
As fans of the universe of World War Z, Jeremy Kleiner seems to believe that there are still things to explore and ideas to mine in this world. The sponge has not yet been wrung dry and because of that, it’s hard to say World War Z 2 will never happen. The story doesn’t feel like it’s over to Jeremy Kleiner and because of that, he’s leaving the door wide open for a possible sequel.
Jeremy Kleiner does not however offer any indications that there is currently movement towards making World War Z 2 happen or when such a hypothetical film might finally see the light of day. Still though, for fans of World War Z, it’s good to hear that people in positions of power to do so are still interested in continuing to tell this story.
That’s the thing nowadays too. We’re seeing that it really is never too late for a sequel or spinoff or continuation or reboot. Movies we never thought would happen are happening with regularity and sequels are coming years after the first movie. Five years is nothing, we’re frequently seeing 10-year gaps between things, if not decades in some cases.
Now, a lot of those are nostalgic properties, which World War Z is not, and for every triumphant return there’s a movie that makes us regret wishing for a sequel in the first place. But still, we can’t write off World War Z 2 completely. Hopefully if and when it does happen it manages to be as intriguing as the sequel with Brad Pitt and director David Fincher was shaping up to be.
We’ll keep you updated if this undead project rises to feed once more. In the meantime, check out our 2020 Release Schedule to see what movies you can look forward to this year.
