Barricade your windows and bolt your doors, because the scariest zombies in cinema history are coming back to our screens. After more than a decade of stops and starts, World War Z 2 finally has what it needed the most: a director, a writer, and a deal in place to get made.
Starring Brad Pitt, 2013’s World War Z was a loose adaptation of Max Brooks’s titular novel, which was contested by fans of the novel. However, it became a fan-favorite action-horror film in its own right and has gained a cult following in the years since its release. This is predominantly thanks to its zombies, who sprint towards their targets faster than Tom Cruise can run in the Mission: Impossible movies. The film might have fallen flat as an adaptation, but the zombies have etched themselves into horror fans’ brains, and they’re coming back for a second time to haunt us all over again.
‘World War Z 2’ Finally Gets a Director and Writer
In September 2026, Paramount confirmed that World War Z 2 is officially moving forward, with Edward Berger (Conclave, All Quiet on the Western Front) signed on to direct and Dennis Kelly, creator of the series Utopia, writing the script. Brad Pitt is confirmed to return as Gerry Lane, with his Plan B banner producing alongside Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, and Berger also serving as exec producer. Reports indicate Pitt began pitching Berger on the project while the two were working together on the A24 drama The Riders, and that deals for both closed in the weeks before the announcement. Plot details are being kept under wraps, and there’s still no release date or production start date, but for the first time in over a decade, World War Z 2 has real names attached instead of chatter.
The renewed momentum traces back to Paramount’s recent merger with Skydance, which created Paramount Skydance. Following the merger, CEO David Ellison named World War Z, alongside Top Gun 3 and Star Trek, as one of the studio’s priorities (via The Hollywood Reporter). That wave of announcements has already started to pan out, since Top Gun 3 has been officially confirmed, with Tom Cruise returning as Maverick.
Why Has It Taken So Long for ‘World War Z 2’?
World War Z likely isn’t your favorite zombie movie. But despite modest reviews from critics and fans (it holds a 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with a 72% audience score), World War Z raked it in at the box office. The film grossed over $540 million worldwide, against an estimated budget of $190 million. It remains the highest-grossing zombie movie of all time. Hilariously, Hotel Transylvania is in second place, with Zombieland in third.
Due to its financial success, a World War Z sequel was announced shortly after the original’s theatrical release. However, the movie bounced in and out of development hell, trapped in Hollywood purgatory for years. J.A. Bayona was first attached to direct, departing after about a year, before David Fincher took over in 2016 with a version reportedly built around Gerry hunting down the creator of the outbreak. Paramount scrapped that take in 2019 as costs kept climbing, and Fincher later said he was relieved it fell apart, joking that the story had ended up “a little like” HBO’s The Last of Us.
