Oh dear. Just when it looked like the World War Z sequel might actually, properly go ahead this time, along comes more worries of a budgetary nature and additional cold feet concerns by Paramount. The result, according to The Playlist's sources? Pre-production on the film has shut down once again.
That's despite the best and constant efforts of star/producer Brad Pitt, who has trying to get this one made for years now. But unlike the swift undead types in the original film, progress on the sequel has stumbled along, groaning and listless. And that's even with Pitt convincing old mate David Fincher to jump aboard and direct, with Utopia creator Dennis Kelly hired to do a pass on the script already tackled by Steven Knight.
While World War Z 2 (or whatever it ends being called, assuming it ever gets made) had been targeted for one release date after another, but the studio has never seemed confident enough in the project to give everything the thumbs up. The Fincher version is the closest it has gotten to actual production, with a shoot pencilled in for later this summer across different countries with a base in Atlanta, but now even that is looking unlikely and those hired to work on the film are being told they're free to look for other work.
With the chaos that the first film went through in terms of re-writes and additional shooting, we can understand why executives might be worried that the sequel could show the same issues. For now, though, this one is headed back into the land of limbo.
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