Director announced for World War Z sequel

Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona is reported to be on board to direct the as yet untitled follow-up to World War Z from actor/producer Brad Pitt.

By Nia Daniels 11 Dec 2013

Director announced for World War Z sequel
Juan Antonio Bayona

Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona is reported to be on board to direct the as yet untitled follow-up to World War Z from actor/producer Brad Pitt.

Despite previous reports of the production being beset with hitches and pick-ups, World War Z has taken around $540m worldwide and garnered some decent reviews. The lengthy shoot, which got underway over two years ago in Malta, used numerous locations in the UK (Scotland, England and Wales all got a look-in) as well as Budapest.

Pitt’s production company, Plan B, is once again behind the sequel project which has had a first-look deal with superstudio Paramount for eight years, although it has been recently reported (11 Dec) that this is now in flux, with New Regency being mooted as the new parent producers.

It looks certain however, that the follow-up film will remain with Paramount, as they are the developing company. It’s early days though, as scripts have yet to be written. (Although if the writers and Pitt are working through the alphabet for the sequel’s title, surely they’d have to to go back to the beginning and call it World War A?)

Bayona won critical acclaim for his work on The Impossible (2012), which starred Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts as the couple caught up in the tsunami in Thailand in 2004. He has also been in Ireland recently directing the first block of Penny Dreadful, a new Victorian horror series from the Skyfall writer/director team of John Logan and Sam Mendes. The TV drama comes from Mendes’ shingle Neal Street Productions for Showtime.

Pitt’s production company, Plan B, is once again behind the sequel project which has had a first-look deal with superstudio Paramount for eight years, although it has been recently reported (11 Dec) that this is now in flux, with New Regency being mooted as the new parent producers.

It looks certain however, that the follow-up film will remain with Paramount, as they are the developing company. It’s early days though, as scripts have yet to be written. (Although if the writers and Pitt are working through the alphabet for the sequel’s title, surely they’d have to to go back to the beginning and call it World War A?)

Bayona won critical acclaim for his work on The Impossible (2012), which starred Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts as the couple caught up in the tsunami in Thailand in 2004. He has also been in Ireland recently directing the first block of Penny Dreadful, a new Victorian horror series from the Skyfall writer/director team of John Logan and Sam Mendes. The TV drama comes from Mendes’ shingle Neal Street Productions for Showtime.

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