Brad Pitt returns for World War Z sequel, will reunite with Edward Berger after The Riders

The long-awaited sequel to the 2013 hit zombie blockbuster World War Z is finally picking up steam. According to reports, Paramount Pictures has officially locked in Brad Pitt to reprise his role and tapped Oscar-nominated filmmaker Edward Berger of All Quiet on the Western Front fame, to direct.

Brad Pitt and Edward Berger to join hands for World War Z

Adapted from Max Brooks’ 2006 bestselling novel World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, the original film proved a massive box-office success. For the sequel, Brad Pitt will also return as the producer, alongside Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, under their Plan B Entertainment banner. Edward Berger will also be joining as an executive producer. Dennis Kelly, of Utopia and Matilda the Musical fame, is set to pen the screenplay. However, plot details are being kept under wraps.

According to media reports, Brad had wanted to do a sequel for more than a decade, which led him even woo his longtime friend and collaborator David Fincher to potentially direct the film. That plan nearly came together, but David Fincher left the film when there arose budgetary issues and the project was put on hold. 

Fast-forward to last summer, when the project got new life after Josh Greenstein and Dana Goldberg were tapped as co-chairs of Paramount Pictures, and the two saw a World War Z sequel as a high-priority project, confirming their desire to get the film made at this year’s CinemaCon in Las Vegas. Skydance played a big part in getting the first film off the ground, and Skydance founder David Ellison shared Pitt’s desire to move forward with a sequel.

As for Edward, he and Brad recently wrapped production of The Riders, and sources say that shoot went well. Insiders add that early on in the shoot,  the Seven actor began pitching the Conclave director on a World War Z sequel and what a perfect fit he would be to direct the same, and by the end of production, Edward was on board.

Brad Pitt will also be seen later this year in the Netflix film The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, reprising his character from Quentin Tarantino's 2019 hit Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, which got Brad an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. 

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